VICKSBURG – Obesity can cause several serious health diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. For five years now Mississippi has been declared the “fattest state in the nation” by the Center for Disease Control. Excessive fat produces obesity. Education is needed to help people get healthier and to prevent obesity from being the norm.
Linda Fondren, owner and CEO of Shape Up Sisters, a health and fitness company in Vicksburg, launched a health awareness campaign last Saturday at the city’s Convention Center. She challenged her fellow Vicksburg residents to lose a minimum of 17,000 lbs. in 17 weeks.
The well-attended jamboree lured approximately 600 men, women, and children who started walking at 9:30 a.m. and shaking off fat with other exercises to popular cultural tunes from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Many of these individuals and whole families let their hair down in fitness as trainers guided them through a number of stimulating exercises that made losing weight a fun thing to do.
They shuffled, turned around, shook their hips, stepped forward and backward, stretched out their arms and legs, stretched their arms in the air, belly danced, squatted down, and rocked from sided to side.
“This event is great. It brings people together for a common goal: to help them stay healthy and fit,” said Andrea Tower of Cypress Pilates.
Dr. Warren Jones of University of Mississippi Medical Center spoke encouraging words to the crowd. “We’re going to take stairs rather than elevators. My pledge is that I will work with you. I’m going to join the 17,000 pound-walk. To the men present he said, “I need you to go out and be ambassadors. Tell the men to show up and show out and change.”
Jones ended his remarks with a series of questions in call/response format and a “yes we can” chant.
Lee Washington, one out of approximately 75 men who showed up, was so impressed with the event that he said, “I think all men, not just women, should take their health seriously. As men, we can stand to lose weight as well and be healthy for ourselves and families.
Vicksburg Mayor Paul Winfield explained that the event was important and consistent with the theme of taking the city to the next level. “This initiative places the fate of our citizens’ health care condition in their own hands. This is an effort to marshal personal responsibility with regard to lifestyle choices and their affect upon our rate of obesity in order to limit our exposure to other health illnesses.”
The mayor disclosed that he had challenged himself as a resident of Vicksburg to lose some pounds weekly.
What advice did the mayor have for men? “Men historically don’t take the initiative to do health screenings and to go in and seek medical attention on their own. These types of events expose that. Hopefully men will work on their own health care,” he said.
Saturday’s participants pledged to lose weight when they signed a volunteer contract for the 17-week period.
Casting her eyes on the various races present, Fondren said, “It is important to realize overweight and obesity do not have colors. They are multicultural.”
Fondren noted that the 17-week sessions will include nutritional workshops, stress management, psychological behavior, and initially walking slowly. “You don’t need a gym to workout. All you need is your body and education about it.” “This,” she claimed, “will be a lifetime change.”
For further information, visit www.shapeupvicksburg.com. See highlights on page 17.
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