Some team members of the National Taskforce on Physical Activity and Exercise including??Chairperson, Mara Thompson, (third from left),??as they prepared to begin the 15-kilometre fun walk last Sunday.

The National Taskforce on Physical Activity and Exercise participated in its first event aimed at encouraging Barbadians to engage in healthier lifestyles.

The group of volunteers, led by Chairperson, Mrs. Mara Thompson, were part of the Nation’s ???Funathalon’ walk, over the weekend.?? Mrs. Thompson, wife of Prime Minister David Thompson, also served as patron and official starter of the 15-kilometre walk.??

Speaking after the race, she said she was encouraged by the enthusiasm of the committee members and deemed the walk as a fitting beginning of a programme of activities planned by the task force to improve the activity level of Barbadians.??

"The task force is truly up and running.?? We registered as a group and got approximately 60 persons to walk with us and hopefully with our advertising we encouraged others to take part as well," Mrs. Thompson said.

With a theme of "Get Moving Barbados:?? Get Up, Get Active, Get Healthy", the task force has developed a calendar of events, including a fitness fair at Ilaro Court, early next year, to get Barbadians of all ages to become more active.

The task force was launched by the Ministry of Health on Caribbean Wellness Day on September 12, and includes a broad multi-disciplinary team of professionals from the private and public sectors. It receives administrative support from the Health Promotion Unit of the Ministry of Health, and was designed to encourage all Barbadians to be physically active to achieve better health.

lbayley@barbados.gov.bb

Pin It on Pinterest