Giving participants the opportunity to make healthy lifestyle changes is the objective behind a program currently running three times a week in Olds and twice a week in Didsbury.
Drew Taddia, the operator of the sessions, said beyond holding them outside — at Deer Meadow School — the classes use a participant's own body resistance. Taddia said the idea behind the program was to offer a complete lifestyle change beyond just simply exercise. He said when he approached several area businesses, they were happy to get on board and offer incentives to participants.
“I was working towards more of a healthier lifestyle than just basic classes. I went around to the community and we found some … RMTs, we have some yoga instructors. I wanted them to get easier choices for them to live a healthier lifestyle,” Taddia said, noting that participants have shown improvements in their fitness levels.
“Everyone is doing well. Everyone's getting stronger, everyone's getting in better shape,” he said.
The classes average about 10 participants per outing.
Taddia said his motivation for holding the classes was to get people out and about, and thinking about ways they could make positive lifestyle choices.
“What we're doing here is a big step to change people's lives and we've seen that. People are setting goals (and achieving them),” he said.
Anna Papke, one of the participants in the program, said she jumped at the chance to improve her physical fitness.
“I have more energy and my clothes fit better,” she said.
In addition to the classes, Papke has climbed Snake Hill in Sundre and has been doing some running on her own time. She said without the motivation from other class participants, she wouldn't have made the decision to do those solitary activities.
Leann Debruyn, another participant in the program, said she too was motivated by a desire to feel better about her fitness level.
“I wanted to be healthier for my kids so I can take care of them and keep up to them,” she said.
Debruyn said the sessions have helped increase her general endurance level.
“It's just been overall healthier for me. I've lost weight, have more energy,” she said, adding she usually makes it out twice a week to the classes.
In addition to attending the classes, Debruyn has also bicycled a round trip from Didsbury to Olds, in addition to biking from Didsbury to Carstairs a couple of times.
“If I hadn't (joined) this group, there's no way I would have been able to do it. It's a fun group,” she said.
Taddia said everyone is welcome to join. Sessions run Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in Olds at Deer Meadow School at 7 p.m. while the sessions also run Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. at Ross Ford Elementary School in Didsbury.
