If you have been waiting for the right moment to exercise your way into a healthier lifestyle, now is the time to take action.
The family doctors of Queens, first line health providers of the county, and the Queens Fitness Centre (QFC) are pleased to announce a new phase of the Queens Fit Pro initiative.
The Nova Scotia Department of Health Promotion and Protection and the Queens Community Health Board have provided a $4,000 grant, to give 100 inactive people a 50% discount on a three-month membership to the QFC.
The membership, worth $110, is available to people who are ready and able to start a structured exercise program at the QFC.
Patients who are willing to start a healthier lifestyle and are referred by their health provider can be eligible for the discount as long as they were not members of the QFC in 2009, and have not used a voucher provided by their family doctor in the first phase of the program.
To obtain a new voucher, candidates simply have to ask their family doctor or nurse practitioner in Queens County.
In support of the program, Reynolds Pharmachoice will be financing the purchase of a state of the art treadmill by the QFC.
"The partnership of family physicians and the QFC in the Queens Fit Pro initiative, to encourage people to commit to a better and healthier lifestyle through exercise, is totally in line with our objectives at Pharmachoice," said Mark Reynolds.
When the Queens Fitness Pro initiative was first introduced in 2008, Queens MLA Vicki Conrad had the Nova Scotia Legislature pass a resolution supporting the concept of encouraging people to get active, as well as encouraging provincial and local financial support.
"I am glad that the Department and the Community Health Board agreed to keep the ball rolling by authorizing $4,000 in total support," says Conrad.
Dr. Andrew Blackadar, speaking on behalf of the first line health providers of Queens, added that regular exercise is the key for individuals to maintain their health and avoid debilitating physical problems.
"For our community, increasing participation in fitness activity will reduce the cost of health services," says Blackadar. "Twenty-one percent of participants in the first program have remained active, and we hope to improve this very positive result with the new program."
For more information on how you can benefit from the Queens Fitness Pro initiative, you can contact Liz Boland or the QFC staff at 354-2308, or ask your doctor for a fitness prescription.
