Get Movin Maumee challenges residents to get fit by exercising

1/20/2009

The challenge is on for Maumee residents to get fit.

Healthy Maumee, a wellness initiative sponsored by Medical Mutual of Ohio in conjunction with the city, the school district, the Chamber of Commerce, senior center, and St. Luke s Hospital, plans to kick off its inaugural event next week.

A 10-week Get Movin Maumee fitness challenge begins Sunday and ends April 18 with a health festival at Maumee High School.

For the first five weeks of the challenge, participants are asked to exercise three times a week for 30 minutes.

For the second five weeks, they are encouraged to boost that to five times a week for 30 minutes.

All participants who turn in completed exercise logs will be entered into a drawing for prizes.

It s a program to motivate you to take your own initiative and kick in some of the things you re already doing and put them into high gear, said Ruby Gamble, spokesman for Medical Mutual. The program is set up to give you all the information you need fitness information, personal health information, healthy eating.

Residents can register for the fitness challenge online at HealthyMaumee.org or sign up in person at Heartland Rehabilitation Services, 1787 Indian Wood Circle, from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. today; at the Maumee Senior Center from 8:30 a.m. to noon tomorrow; at the Diabetes Care Center at St. Luke s, 5871 Moncolva Rd., from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, and at Positively Fit, 108 East Dudley St., from9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

Participants will receive free blood-pressure screenings and a goody bag that contains exercise information and a personal exercise log.

Maumee City Administrator John Jezak said that while the city is not contributing financially to Healthy Maumee, it is a community partner and hopes its employees get involved.

Internally we ve encouraged our employees to take advantage of the program, to participate in it, he said.