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Participants??work up a sweat last Saturday at Browne’s Beach at the four-hour fitness fair to mark Caribbean Wellness Day. (A.Miller/BGIS)??

Over 1,000 persons thronged Browne’s Beach and actively participated in a four-hour fitness fair to mark Caribbean Wellness Day last Saturday afternoon.

And, officials from the Ministry of Health and the National Task Force on Physical Activity and Exercise were pleased with the turnout, the level of involvement and the wide cross-section of persons who attended the event. ????

Health Minister, Donville Inniss, who came ???dressed to move’ also participated in the activities and afterwards emphasised that this was just what the Ministry wanted Barbadians to do on a daily basis.??

"This event shows that Barbadians are taking the messages that the Health Ministry, the Exercise Task Force and others in the community have been promoting for quite some time seriuously.?? It’s time to take responsibility for our health.?? We have shared the staggering statistics and we know that the lack of physical activity or exercise and poor eating habits are two of the risk factors for chronic diseases. So, as a country, we need to get up, get active and get healthy, or suffer the consequences both as individuals and as a nation," he emphasised.

Senior Health Promotion Officer, Denise Carter-Taylor, pointed out that though the Ministry had committed to promoting physical activity, the Barbadian public should not "put up their sneakers". She urged community groups, non-governmental

organisations and private enterprises to start wellness programmes to inspire people to be active.??

"Anecdotal evidence shows that more people are moving, whether on the beach, on the roads and in the parks, but there are still some persons who we are not reaching. We are heartened today though to see quite a few children, and more men than we usually see taking part in these events," Mrs. Carter-Taylor noted.??

The fitness fair included beach volleyball, Zumba, handball, line dancing, a beach boot camp, a wuk up workout, a tai chi stretch session and drills led by the Barbados??Masters and Seniors Athletic Club.??

lisa.bayley@barbados.gov.bb

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