100 days to a healthier you
Date Posted: Friday, January 11, 2008Author: Christen Pears
Live Healthy Bermuda provides motivation to work out
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How many times have you started a diet only to give up the first time a cream cake crossed your path? Perhaps you joined a gym but now your membership card is languishing at the back of your drawer along with those skin tight lycra shorts you can’t fit into. You are not alone. Hundreds of people in Bermuda fail to stick to their diet and exercise regimes but a new, online initiative aims to change that.
Live Healthy Bermuda is a 100 day team-based challenge that provides people with the tools and motivation they need to reach their healthy and fitness goals. Teams of two to 10 individuals compete against other teams throughout the island. Progress is measured by tracking weight loss and physical activity online.
The challenge, which is supported by Aspen, Lindo’s and the Bermuda Diabetes Association, was officially launched this week at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute. It is based on the successful Live Healthy America programme – a non-profit programme aimed at increasing awareness of obesity, being overweight and the associated conditions. It provides tools and resources to help individuals and organisations improve their health and create a culture of wellness. The idea was introduced to Bermuda by Terry Faulkenberry, operations manager for property reinsurance at Aspen.
Bermuda has high levels of obesity. Research has shown that 63 per cent of Bermuda’s adults are above the normal bodyweight for their height with 38 per cent overweight and 25 per cent obese. The picture is similar among youngsters with 36 per cent of five to 10 year olds and 25 per cent of 11 to 17 year olds classified as overweight or obese. Consequently, there are approximately 9,000 Bermudians with diabetes.
Mr Faulkenberry says: “I had been looking for a programme to help tackle Bermuda’s health problems and I first heard about this a year-and-a-half ago. I called the head office in Iowa in October to put forward the idea about extending it outside Bermuda and they were very exited about it and have been tremendously supportive.
“The Bermuda Diabetes Association then got behind it because they feel very strongly about weight and obesity because of the impact it has on people’s health. The next step was getting Lindo’s onboard and, along with Aspen, we have a good formula and a tremendous support group.”
More than 300 people attended the launch event this week where Jane DeVille-Almond, a director of the UK's National Obesity Forum, explained the key issues. The majority of those attending were women but Mr Faulkenberry says he has received feedback from a lot of men who want to take part.
“We have had an amazing response so far. I always knew it was going to catch on but the phone hasn’t stopped ringing.A lot of them are people who have tried in the past to diet and have not been successful. They now have a new way to take charge of their health and this will challenge and target them.”
Sarah Burrows, programme manager for the Bermuda Diabetes Association says this year's programme was initially intended to be low key but gathered momentum due to massive public interest.
"We wanted to test the concept first and see how people would respond to the idea but it already seems like the whole community is behind it," she explains.
"Around 85 to 90 per cent of the diabetes population are Type 2 and of thouse, about 80 per cent have an obesity or weight issue. Obesity affects 32 different diseases so if we can get a handle on that, we can get a handle on our health care costs going forwards. In Britain, the NHS has restricted treatment to people with BMIs over 30 and we don't want that situation over here."
In fact, Britain looks set to beneft from Bermuda's experiences with the programme. The organisers have been invited to Britain to give a presentation at the National Obesity Forum in October.
Ms Burrows says: "If what we do here is successful we can take it to Britain as a model for how they can make a difference to their obesity issues. It's a very exciting opportunity for us."
Some people have signed up as families while others have formed teams with friends or colleagues. Lindo’s is leading the way with its own televised 100 Day Challenge, where two teams of five people will compete against each other.Everyone who signs up receives a T-shirt, access to the Live Healthy Bermuda website, weekly emails containing weekly activity, nutrition and recipe tips and a personalised online dashboard to track progress. The challenge gets underway on January 16.
“That’s where the fun will really start. The leaderboard will be online and the teams will be able to see how they’re doing against the others. That will provide a lot of motivation,” says Mr Faulkenberry.
“I think the key to success will be the team aspect of it. You get the motivation and peer pressure to continue on through the 100 days. For example if you get a group of girls together to do a walk on a Sunday morning you may be feeling tired but you go because you don’t want to let the team down. We know it works because of its success in the United States and we’re expecting great results here.”
For more information visit www.livehealthybermuda.org