Active living a breath of fresh air

By Carolyn Sloan

Spectator

NovaNewsNow.com

The staff at the Annapolis Community Health Centre started the year with a commitment to walk the distance from one end of the province to the other.

The goal is part of the “Take the Roof Off Winter” challenge – a provincial campaign that encourages groups, businesses, schools, and organizations to make time for regular physical activity during the winter months.

Everyday during their lunch hour, a group from the health centre sporting bright red fleece hats band together to brave the cold, socialize, and enjoy the benefits of a brisk walk to the traffic lights and back. Twenty-three of the centre’s 70 employees signed up to participate in the active living challenge in January. So far, the group has logged in 850 kilometres, and plans to continue until they reach the 1454 kilometre goal.

According to challenge participant and dietician Terri Delisle, participants have the option to log in hours both at work and at home. She says that for all of the walkers, the experience has been a positive one, contributing to their overall sense of wellbeing through exercise and social interaction. “People are enjoying the social aspect of walking,” explains Delisle. “We’re a little more productive in the afternoons [too].”

Challenge participant Janet Swansburg has been an inspiration to the group of walkers. A Club 400 member, the secretary of the Annapolis West Health Foundation has committed to a personal goal of walking 80 kilometres a week. In addition to logging in hours with her colleagues, Swansburg takes long walks with her dog twice a day. “It does actually work,” she says, explaining that since she started the challenge, she has lost weight and lowered her cholesterol. “I find I can get up the hill easier [now] and walk faster.”

For more information on the Take the Roof Off Winter campaign, visit www.taketheroofoffwinter.ca or contact the Annapolis County recreation coordinator Deb Ryan at 532-3139.