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sensible way to lose weight

and keep it o!

To fnd out more visit www.ottawavalleyliving.ca, or call Melissa McInnes, Paramedic Health Promotion Ofcer at 613-735-7288 ext 501.

There are two “Slim till YouWin” launch sites: Fellowes High School

Heart Wise Exercise program in Renfrew County,

420 Bell Street, Pembroke Date: Wednesday, February 2, 2011 Launch ProgramTime: 6:00 PM Guest Speaker: Dr. Virinder Kasbia

GetWITH It program runs from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Almonte and District High School

Heart Wise Exercise program in Lanark County, 126 Martin Street North, Almonte Date: Thursday, February 3, 2011 Launch ProgramTime: 7:00 PM Guest Speaker: Dr. Michele de Margerie, University of Ottawa Heart Institute

GetWITH It program runs from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM Along with the guest speakers there will be a health fair where people have the opportunity to secure valuable information to assist them in their weight-loss process. Individuals can also register and have their initial weigh-in and measurements done at the time of the launch.

Brian Levesque Editor

Breathing Life into Your New Year’s Resolution

Do you fnd that you’ve given up on your best laid plans to lose weight and eat healthier this year? And, even though you felt that turning over a new leaf was the right thing to do it wasn’t long before things went awry. That’s what tends to happen for me and many of my friends, every year. We start out with great intentions but before long we’ve undermined the process and slide back into our same old routines. Still wearing our fat clothes from the previous year and snacking on munchies after eight in the evening while vegging on the sofa in front of some mindless show on the fat-screen.

I started earlier this year to make sure that doesn’t happen. I brought in reinforcement and backup. Back in September I joined BestWestern Pembroke Fitness Centre and with the help of DarrenWebb, my personal trainer, I started the drudgery of getting ft again. Seriously, in the beginning I felt like one those guys on“The Biggest Loser”. Spitting and sputtering like a motor that’s not running properly. Even now the boot-camp style training that Darren puts me through three times a week still feels like hard work and there are still days when I’m not motivated or up for the challenge. But through my persistence I keep putting one foot in front of the other, with resistance of course, and get to experience the fruits of my labour. To date I’ve dropped 12 pounds and have gained back much of the muscle mass I had lost. At 56, I can’t push my body like I used to. That’s why a personal trainer makes sense for me. Darren not only helps motivate, he also keeps me on track and gauges every workout to ensure that I don’t injure myself. Besides, it’s just the push I need to get me to the gym

on those -20 winter nights when I’d rather be bundled up in front of the TV. The workouts defnitely burn more calories and the cardio benefts from the rigors of my heart-smart routine are measurable and have given me more energy.

Taking on a Healthier Way of Living

This month we are launching a three-month-long“Slim till YouWin” competition. It’s our way of helping breathe life into your NewYear’s resolution. I personally feel that the encouragement of others is always great incentive when chartering new territory. And introducing articles in this issue of the magazine by Psychologist Dr. Hannah Marchand and Registered Dietitian, Kathleen Turner (both with the University of Ottawa Heart Institute), we hope to inspire you to get ft by discovering ways that will put you on a path of realistic goal setting and a healthier lifestyle. Let the competition begin. Good Luck!