The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
With only five days left before the big draw, In Motion is just as busy as ever. Director Fran Labarre alone has "caught" almost 300 people out and about getting in motion. "Looking at these numbers, I'm really impressed," she says. Along with Labarre nine others are out around the town, which Labarre says "is just incredible." Jason Mandes, another member of In Motion, will be drawing the name for the winner of the mountain bike on August 31 on CFAR. The name will be drawn at random from a bucket. And Labarre says, "who knows, it could be a person who has been out walking for years, or someone who has just started." Labarre also adds, "we get a lot of people telling us 'we're out because of this program,' so that's really encouraging." Winning a mountain bike is a great prize, but Labarre says she hopes people exercise "for life, not just for the draw." And she says, "I think the majority of people will continue on after the draw, which is what we want to see." The summer campaign is part of a year-long program to help make people aware of chronic disease and the importance of exercise. "It's really important now," says Labarre, "as now studies are out saying this is the first generation where parents are out living their children. What kind of evolution is that?" On a daily basis, people are supposed to take 10,000 steps, which averages out to 8.8 kilometers. According to Labarre, "people are nowhere near that number." While 8.8 kilometers might seem like a lot, Labarre says "you don't have to do it all at once." And more importantly, she adds "you don't need to be training for a marathon." As for the summer In Motion campaign, Labarre says "we will be doing this again." She adds, "I hope to be able to make this an annual event." Along with the hopes of the summer campaign to continue, activities from last year will be making their way back through out 2008. Activities and items include: Seniors weeks Children's day Bust the Winter Blues Festival Healthy Easter egg hunt Summer days As for In Motion, Labarre says to "keep active for yourself. It's important to keep healthy."
