A section of the large crowd of??persons who??took part in Line Dancing in the City staged by the National Task Force on Physical Activity and??Exercise??in Independence Square, the City.??(C. Pitt/BGIS)

Hundreds turned out last Friday evening for Line Dancing in the City, hosted by the National Task Force on Physical Activity and Exercise and the Ministry of Health.??

Based on comments from participants and onlookers, the Task Force has once again succeeded in creating an opportunity for persons to engage in physical activity that is fun-filled.?? Prior to the two-hour session which was led by Leon Greaves, individuals converged in large numbers at Independence Square for the 5:00 p.m. start, and this trend continued as Mr. Greaves took the initial group through their paces.

Director of the Barbados Drug Service, and participant Maryam Hinds, said that she loved to line dance.?? "I dance two, three times a week as a form of exercise and I believe in the Minister’s philosophy of leading by example, so I was happy to take part in this activity," she said.

Chairperson of the Task Force, Mara Thompson, was on hand to thank and commend those who attended the event and expressed surprise at the large turnout.???? She praised the Task Force members and the Ministry of Health for their efforts to encourage more people to become active. Health Minister, Donville Inniss also participated in the exercise.

Many persons, including Lana Agard Maxwell, called for similar events to be staged.?? "It is a form of exercise and I would like to do it more often but I am not able to. ????It isn’t difficult and you eventually get it in the end.?? And you are doing it for exercise, so even if you don’t have the correct steps, it’s ok," she said.

Exercise enthusiast, Vonda Sandiford, pointed out that she had attended all of the events staged by the Task Force so far and "have totally enjoyed them".?? She too called for the line dancing events to be staged across the island.

This was underscored by one of the few male participants, ???Mackie’, who expressed great satisfaction in having to take part in such an exercise on a Friday evening.?? "Instead of just going home you could come out and get some exercise at the same time.?? I think you can do some more of these events, because so many people are interested in health these days and they will get some exercise in a fun way.?? I think the Ministry of Health is on track because people need to get healthy," he said.

For more information on the National Task Force on Physical Activity and Exercise and to find out about upcoming events, the public can visit the Keep Moving Barbados facebook page. There, community groups can notify the 350-plus members and visitors to the page about their upcoming health and exercise events.?? There is also an extensive photo gallery of past Task Force events.

lbayley@barbados.gov.bb

Pin It on Pinterest