‘Exercise in the Park’ programme warming up

The “Exercise in the Park” programme initiated by the Department of Physical Education and Sports may have moved indoors but it has nonetheless gained ground.

Starting as a once per week work out in Kingstown at the Grammar School Playing Field, the programme moved to the Old Government Printery Building, and demand for it has caused the department to extend the programme to twice per week.{{more}} At present the programme is conducted on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Cruise Ship Terminal, and Sports Officer Woodrow Williams has hailed the programme’s acceptance as the result of perseverance.

“It was slow in taking off, but it is going quicker than we had anticipated and has caught on now and growing rapidly”, Williams said.

“We do full programme support in Sandy Bay, Lauders, as well as Calliaqua and one should be starting up in Du Bois soon”, Williams revealed.

A bubbling Williams disclosed, “Lauders runs three times per week, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sunday mornings, Sandy Bay five times per week Monday to Friday and Calliaqua: Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays”.

“Apart from these we continue to do the Golden Age Centres’ programmes every Tuesday morning at Cane Grove and Black Point every Tuesday”, Williams said.

It was not always plain sailing for the department as their effort to begin a cell in Barrouallie did not get the anticipated response.

Williams said at first the department conducted the programme in 2005 with the Nutrition Unit in the Ministry of Health merely as part of Nutrition Week.

“People then asked for it to be more regular so we obliged”, he added.

The programme went full throttle earlier this year, but had to be moved indoors as several of the parks were unavailable and at times unsuitable for this sort of activity.

Williams said the decision to move indoors was also to give the participants more confidence as they would be out of the sight of passers by.

With the emphasis on having as a fitter nation, Williams said, “We are here to promote healthy lifestyles”.

Williams said that with the programme just taking root, they have not yet included nutrition as a separate facet, but encourage the participants “to eat wisely”.

He stated that his department is still inviting more persons to get involved in their exciting programme.