There are centres all over the county.

Project WeightLoss – a 12 week programme for real results

By Geraldine Fitzgerald

Are you overweight, or inactive? If you have a body mass index (BMI) of over 25, you can take part in the Project WeightLoss programme.

Project WeightLoss is a great help to people who need some help getting started. Sessions run twice a week for twelve weeks and are delivered in local Project WeightLoss centres all over the county.

The twice-weekly sessions will introduce a wide range of exercise activities, equipping participants with the tools to be able to manage their weight in a healthy and safe manner. A substantial logbook is used alongside the practical sessions as a motivational tool to record activities and track progress.

The primary aim of the programme is to provide an opportunity for inactive and sedentary people to experience exercise, appropriate to their ability and needs in a supervised and structured setting using exercise professionals. The programme is designed to empower the participant to focus on the areas of their everyday activities which can be changed to bring about improved health and fitness, and as a result, reduce excess weight and other associated risks. By the end of the programme, participants will be fitter, healthier and have reduced their BMI.

Project WeightLoss is about a lifelong change to be more active. It’s an initiative of the Cork Sports Partnership and has been enhanced by the involvement of the Health Promotion Department of the HSE and Leisureworld Cork. Project WeightLoss ran as a pilot initially back in September 2011 in Leisureworld, Bishopstown and it continues to be a huge success.

Late in 2012 with the support of the Health Promotion Department HSE and Leisureworld, a two-day training course was devised to train up interested and qualified fitness instructors to deliver Project WeightLoss, making it available in communities across Cork.

The programme is now being rolled out as part of the WellComm Active Initiative in conjunction with Cork Kerry Community Healthcare.

PROJECT WEIGHTLOSS OUTLINE

· 12 week programme

· Two activity sessions per

week

· Activity & food diary

· Weekly tips & advice

· Trained Project WeightLoss leader to support you each week

· Peer & group support

A 12 week programmes cost €159 for 24 sessions in total. That’s less than €7 per session, with a discount available for returning participants.See corksports.ie/project-weightloss for more.