Contact: Robbie Ward
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Valerie Tate and four co-workers walked into the Joe Frank Sanderson Center on Mississippi State's campus earlier this week with ideas of making the university's recreational center something akin to their second home.
Even better than familiarizing themselves with campus facilities, the group of women--the self-described "Caramel deLites"--aims to make healthy exercise and good nutrition a way of life during the next 12 weeks and the rest of their lives. They're part of the more than 650 MSU students, faculty and staff who signed up for Bulldogs in Motion, a new program designed to help people develop healthy living habits to practice for life.
Tate, outreach coordinator for MSU's Division of Academic Outreach and Continuing Education, said her family history of high blood pressure, weight issues, and diabetes forced her to watch her and her two daughters' health and lifestyle.
Staff at the Sanderson exercise complex already have weighed hundreds of participants of Bulldogs in Motion, part of an umbrella program called Mississippi in Motion recently endorsed by Gov. Haley Barbour. Each participant received a pedometer to track progress they make.
Teams will compete to win prizes by exercising and attending exercise and nutrition seminars. Each member is encouraged to set realistic fitness goals, such as losing one to two pounds a week.
Tate has a head start on the program. She began an exercise routine in September, which included playing badminton with her 5-year-old and walking more around campus.
"After you do all this you feel a whole lot better," Tate said.
If the campus program is a copy of models used throughout the state, that's because Mississippi in Motion was created by MSU's Extension Service health priority group. Jane Clary, an associate professor in the MSU Extension Service and chair of the group, said it helps serve as an effective method for people to develop the healthy habits necessary for having a long-term impact on their health.
While daylong workshops on health issues often have little impact on people's lifestyles, Mississippi in Motion and its MSU version tend to increase participants' chances of losing weight and staying healthy because of the social aspect of the program, she explained. When a group is seeking to achieve similar goals, each member can help the others maintain regular visits to the gym or a walking exercise program--especially when a few start to lose willpower, she added.
Tate and other Caramel deLite team members plan to exercise together each afternoon. She said she's lucky to have teammates "fired up about the program."
"I think motivation will play a big role," Tate said. "I just can't wait to see the end result."
As Tate and others with intentions of losing weight and finding healthier habits stepped on scales to begin the program, Eddie Myles appreciated what he saw. In addition to directing the Oktibbeha County Hospital's Wellness Connection, he is a member of Gov. Barbour's Council for Physical Fitness and Sports.
Myles said one of the most important aspects of Bulldogs in Motion is exposing hundreds of people to a different way of life.
"You're getting information on food, diet and exercise," he said. "When we know better, we do better."
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation, philanthropic arm of the insurance company of the same name, is funding the MSU program. Foundation director and marathon runner Wade H. Overstreet said the organization is supporting nine other programs associated with Mississippi in Motion.
"We're trying to change the health culture in Mississippi with a focus on prevention and healthy lifestyles," the 1996 MSU graduate said. "This program really embodies all of our aims."
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For more information, contact Dr. Clary at 662-325-5014 or jclary@ext.msstate.edu.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.