Our Director, David Walwyn, Interviewed About Our Upcoming National Weight Loss Campaign

Our Director, David Walwyn, was recently interviewed by the media about our upcoming National Weight Loss Campaign, which gets started on Saturday 26th January, 2019.

 

This interview was covered by Nevis Pages, you can read this article below, and to register for the National Weight Loss Campaign, please visit the sign-up page here

 

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Article by Nevis Pages:

 

David Walwyn of the Fit Wellness Center on Nevis, in a recent interview, explained that the National Weight loss campaign will be officially launched at the Fit Park, on the 26th of January.

 

This follows an official media launch late last year, which basically introduced the proposed program to the general public.

 

The major health related project is a collaborative effort between the Fit Wellness Center and the Ministry of Health, under the leadership of the Hon. Hazel Brandy Williams, the Minister responsible for that significant Ministry.

 

Walwyn explained that the main goal of the upcoming campaign is to ensure drastic weight loss in as many affected individuals across the island, as it is a well-known fact that an alarming number of persons on the island are obese and grossly overweight.

 

Hence the resulting huge numbers of hospital admissions and resulting deaths from the various non communicable diseases and related complications such as hypertension, diabetes; kidney failure etc.

 

The Hon. Hazel Brandy Williams has purposed in her heart to break this vicious cycle and has teamed up her Ministry with the FIT Wellness Center, to seek to break this scourge and the two main areas of concern in the program, will be PROPER NUTRITION, which will seek to break the habit of the American styled diet, as persons locally are eating too much processed foods and EXERCISE, which will seek to break the trend of inactivity, among many of the residents on the island.

 

In so doing, a collective figure of the number of pounds to be lost during the campaign, will be set as an initial target.

 

Hon. Hazel Brandy Williams will be leading by example and has already REGISTERED FOR THE PROGRAM and her progress will be closely monitored on social media, to the point where her private life will not be so private anymore, as her exercise program and eating habits will be closely monitored and her weight loss progress will be closely monitored and publicized.
Minister Brandy Williams is hoping that many persons on the island will follow suit, as the national campaign is absolute FREE OF COST and involves quite a number of medical professionals who will be there to assist and assess persons on the program, giving free advice and counselling as regards exercise and diet and even psychological counselling where necessary.

 

Interested persons can register on line here

 

The program will involve lecture session; exercise programs and a host of fun activities and persons will be continually monitored and assessed as regards their general progress and an official assessment will be conducted at the end of the first six months.

 

Interested persons are urged to use the opportunity to register quickly as this may be the difference between a life of pain and misery and a healthy lifestyle.

Are You Good With Words? Enter Our Slogan Competition

Are you good with words? Are you creative? Then we want to hear from you!

 

We’re inviting residents of Nevis to take part in our tagline/slogan competition for the National Weight Loss Campaign.

The competition is open to all residents of Nevis. Entries should be clear, concise, catchy and easy to understand. They must also appeal to a wide audience and follow the basic guidelines below:

  • Convey the sentiment of the public coming together, taking a stance and making a change to get healthy and lose weight.
  • The slogan must be seven words or less
  • The slogan must rhyme
  • The slogan must be submitted by 5pm on  21st December 2018

You can submit your entry in any of the following ways:

  • Via a video on social media tagging @fitgames_inc on Instagram or @fitwellnessnevis on Facebook
  • Emailing the slogan to info@lakehealthandwellbeing.com
  • Sending the slogan via a WhatsApp message to 667 0079

A winner will be selected, and this slogan will be used for the National Weight Loss Campaign.  Three runners up will also be selected, and these slogans will be used throughout the campaign on social media.

There will also be a cash prize of $500EC, sponsored by the FIT Wellness Centre, for the winner.

More Information

For further information please contact Abi Begho by calling 667 0079 or emailing info@lakehealthandwellbeing.com

About the National Weight Loss Campaign

The National Weight Loss Campaign starts in January 2019 and aims to help residents of Nevis lose weight through a fun six-month weight loss challenge that will support participants in getting active and eating a healthier diet. Participants will be guided through the six-month period with advice, tips, healthy recipes, fun events and one-to-one support. There will also be prizes for the person who loses the most weight in their category, recognition of those who have succeeded in losing their target weight and we’ll be following specific people on their weight loss journey.

Registration is Open for the National Weight Loss Campaign in Nevis

We are so happy to announce that registration for the F.I.T. National Weight Loss Campaign in Nevis is open!

 

The National Weight Loss Campaign starts in January 2019 and aims to help residents of Nevis lose weight through a fun six-month weight loss challenge that will support participants in getting active and eating a healthier diet. Participants will be guided through the six-month period with advice, tips, healthy recipes, fun events and one-to-one support. There will also be prizes for the person who loses the most weight in their category, recognition of those who have succeeded in losing their target weight and we’ll be following specific people on their weight loss journey.

 

Technology will play an important role in the campaign and we’ll be creating a web-based health portal where participants can come together, support each other, ask questions, share pictures and videos and receive tips and advice from experts in health and fitness. The health portal will consist of a forum and a chat facility, so we can keep in touch with all participants and provide them with support every step of the way.

 

How To Register for the National Weight Loss Campaign

The National Weight Loss Campaign is open to everyone in Nevis – old, young, male and female. If an individual would like to lose weight or would like some support in adopting a healthier lifestyle then they are welcome to take part.

 

The public can register for the campaign online here: https://mailchi.mp/3019830087d5/nationalweightlosscampaign or they can contact us by email or phone (869)-667-0079

 

Businesses Can Get Involved Too

Businesses are strongly encouraged to take part in the National Weight Loss Campaign by either registering a team of their staff to get involved in the six-month weight loss challenge or they can play an instrumental role in improving the health and wellbeing of our community by becoming a corporate partner or sponsor.

 

For more information about this, businesses in Nevis can contact David Walwyn by email  or phone (869)-662-8749

We Launch Our NCD Prevention Action Plan

On 27th November 2018, we were delighted to launch our NCD Prevention Action Plan and  announce our upcoming National Weight Loss Campaign.

 

The launch took the form of a press conference and was attended by the major media outlets in Nevis. The event was chaired by our very own, Mr David Walwyn, Director of the F.I.T Wellness Center and featured on the panel were:

 

  • Hon. Hazel Brandy-Williams, Junior Minister for Health, who provided an overview of NCDs in Nevis
  • Dr Judy Nisbett, Chief Medical Officer for Nevis, who discussed the cost of NCDs, this included direct and indirect costs as well as the impact NCDs have on families
  • Nadine Carty-Caines, Programme Coordinator, Health Promotion Unit, Ministry of Health, who took the press through all the statistics on NCDs in Nevis
  • Dr Raymond Moving, Internal Medicine, Alexandra Hospital, who explained the complications of NCDs focusing particularly on diabetes
  • Dr Samir Anadkat, Obesity and Diabetes Specialist, Professor (Neuroscience & Anatomy), Medical University of Americas, Nevis, who explored prevention and addressed some of the myths around weight loss
  • David Walwyn, Director, F.I.T. Wellness Centre, who spoke about F.I.T’s approach to tackling NCDs in Nevis
  • Abi Begho, Public Health Project Manager, Lake Health and Wellbeing, who discussed the upcoming National Weight Loss Campaign and also announced the slogan competition for the campaign

Why Focus on NCDs?

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and cancer are a major health challenge in St Kitts and Nevis with 83% of deaths in the Federation being due to these conditions.

 

One of the key factors driving NCDs in St Kitts and Nevis is the high rate of obesity. In 2012, PAHO reported that 32.5% of secondary school children in St Kitts and Nevis were overweight and 14.4% were obese and a more recent report published by UNICEF in 2017 stated that 26% of children in St Kitts and Nevis were obese. We know that children who are overweight or obese are more likely to become overweight or obese adults and this puts them at a high risk of developing NCDs like diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Obesity rates in St Kitts and Nevis in adults aged 25 to 64 is high with a 2008 study stating that 33.5% of adults in this age group were overweight and 45% were obese.

 

We have developed an answer to NCDs by developing its NCD Prevention Action Plan which will focus on supporting residents of Nevis to get fit, healthy and lose weight, and thus reduce their risk of developing an NCD. A core part of our action plan is the National Weight Loss Campaign which will start in January 2019.

 

The National Weight Loss Campaign

The National Weight Loss Campaign aims to help residents of Nevis lose weight through a fun six-month weight loss challenge that will support participants in getting active and eating a healthier diet. Participants will be guided through the six-month period with advice, tips, healthy recipes, fun events and one-to-one support. There will also be prizes for the person who loses the most weight in their category, recognition of those who have succeeded in losing their target weight and we’ll be following specific people on their weight loss journey.

 

Technology will play an important role in the campaign and we’ll be creating a web-based health portal where participants can come together, support each other, ask questions, share pictures and videos and receive tips and advice from experts in health and fitness. The health portal will consist of a forum and a chat facility, so we can keep in touch with all participants and provide them with support every step of the way.

 

How The Public Can Get Involved in the National Weight Loss Campaign

The National Weight Loss Campaign is open to everyone in Nevis – old, young, male and female. If an individual would like to lose weight or would like some support in adopting a healthier lifestyle then they are welcome to take part.

 

The public can register for the campaign online here: https://mailchi.mp/3019830087d5/nationalweightlosscampaign or they can contact us by email or phone (869)-667-0079.

 

Businesses Can Get Involved Too

 

Businesses are strongly encouraged to take part in the National Weight Loss Campaign by either registering a team of their staff to get involved in the six-month weight loss challenge or they can play an instrumental role in improving the health and wellbeing of our community by becoming a corporate partner or sponsor.

 

For more information about this, businesses in Nevis can contact David Walwyn by email  or phone (869)-662-8749.

 

Who is Behind this Initiative?

 

The National Weight Loss Campaign is an initiative of the FIT Wellness Center led by Mr David Walwyn with support from the Ministry of Health and Lake Health and Wellbeing

 

More Information

F.I.T. Wellness Center 
Website www.fitwellnesscenter.com
Phone number: 9869) 469-3481 or (869) 662-8749
Email: admin@fitwellnesscenter.com

 

Ministry of Health, Health Promotion Unit
Phone: (869) 469-5521, (869) 469-8010, (869) 469-7470
Email: healthpromotion@niagov.com

 

Lake Health and Wellbeing
Website: www.lakehealthandwellbeing.com
Phone: (869) 667 0079
Email: info@lakehealthandwellbeing.com