Health in Motion, a program of Vaughan Community Health Services (VCHS), is a new free community wellness program offered by the agency on Mondays at Memorial Stadium between the hours of 7:30 and 10 a.m. and 4 and 6 p.m.

Those are the times of day when many Selmians converge on Memorial Stadium to walk, jog or even run the stadium’s steps.

You will find several VCHS staff members every Monday there to help you.

Specific services offered by VCHS staff members on Mondays at the stadium are blood pressure checks, health-related information, exercise tips, support and encouragement, weight checks and prizes and rewards.

The prizes, consisting of such things as caps, cups and T-shirts, are to offer rewards for those who have an exercise plan and stick to it.

There is no charge for the program, according to VCHS Executive Director Kim Cogle.

To help you remember Health in Motion, look for the Big Blue Man – a wind dancer standing so tall you can’t miss him – on Mondays in front of Memorial Stadium on Dallas Avenue.

The program is designed to provide critical health information to as many area residents as possible about what they can do to ward off fatal disease and to live a healthier, happier life.

Obesity may soon become the number 1 preventable cause of death to Americans, according to the surgeon general as quoted by Fox News. If the trend continues, he said, it could surpass cigarette smoking as the leading cause of death in the United States.

In a recent interview, Karen Morris, VCHS health educator, noted that Dallas County has an obesity rate of 38 percent – well above the national average of 24 percent. “We want to change that!” she said, “and we want Dallas County to be a change agent in reversing the national trend.”

“We know

that people can’t fight obesity alone,” said Joyce Hampton, a LPN on the VCHS staff and, with Morris, co-administrator of the Health in Motion program. “The surgeon General called for a national attack on obesity like the one federal health officials declared on smoking. We’re (VCHS) ready to wage a war on obesity and inactivity. We’re here to help get Dallas County moving,” she said.

“Losing weight means both eating less and exercising more,” Hampton said. “Giving up one 12-oz.soft drink or adding 30 minutes of brisk walking most days can help you lose 10 pounds over a year’s time,” she said.

“We’ve ordered Toledo scales for the stadium,” Cogle said, “and expect them to be delivered and installed soon.”

Cogle said that on the first day a state trooper trainer came through the program and was so impressed that he plans to send part of his class of 40 to the Monday program.

“It’s (the program)a need and this is a central location, a perfect place to hold it,” said Elton Reece, recreation director for the City of Selma and in charge of the stadium.

Morris spoke of several significant conversations on the first Monday that led to immediate recommendations to those exercising or preparing to exercise. One person was told not to exercise and, instead, to go to see his doctor as soon as possible because of high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol.

Another woman at the stadium talked to Morris for 45 minutes about nutrition and healthy eating. “I offered to go with her to the grocery store myself to help her do her shopping,” she said.