Clinic launches 90-day fitness challenge to combat diabetes crisis

In a bid to tackle the alarming prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), LiveWell Medical Clinic has launched the second edition of its ‘10,000 Step 90-Day Challenge’. The initiative encourages people of all ages to commit to a more active lifestyle in the fight against chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.

Founder of LiveWell Clinic, Dr Emma Dash, highlighted the urgency of the challenge, citing the devastating impact of NCDs, which account for over 80 per cent of deaths in Barbados. She revealed that after the completion of the initiative in 2024 when the Pelican Village location of the clinic was first launched, there was a worrying revelation surrounding the number of people who were undiagnosed with diabetes.

She noted: “The amount of people we found with undiagnosed diabetes or hypertension or hypercholesterolemia was a lot, more than 50 per cent of people that signed up. During the 90 days, people normalised their blood sugars, they decreased their blood pressures, they lost weight. We had a person who [lost] up to 50 pounds, which is incredible, and everyone said they had more energy, and like just their day-to-day life was so much better.”

Dr Dash added: “Over 50 per cent of people that go to the hospital, they’re being treated for complications related to diabetes, which is extremely significant, and this challenge creates amazing incentives, really good incentives for people to move. We’re gonna do it biannually, so the next one will be at the end of summer.”

The LiveWell founder explained that family participation has also been critical to the success of the initiative thus far.

“By doing these challenges, it’s not just for the person, [but] also their children see them doing it, they’re doing it with their children,” she said. “It’s a family activity getting everyone to move…there’s this big thing about lifelong habits like the habits you create as a child or what we see our parents doing. It’s usually gonna be carried with us into adulthood. If you never see your parents exercising, you never do it as a child, it’s very unlikely that you’re gonna do it as you grow up, creating this hamster wheel effect.

“I believe that Barbados can be the first country in the world to get a handle on these NCDs such as diabetes and hypertension, if we all work together.”

Dr Dash noted that in 2024, there were 160 participants, with 22 winners, and that this year she is hoping to see at least 300 people getting involved.

Dr David Johnson, founder of Let’s Unpack It, also shared his support for the challenge: “The basis of this 90-day, 10,000 step by LiveWELL, is really to tackle this particular [issue] around promoting physical activity. It is community-based and incentive driven…an initiative that costs nothing to participate in, and it challenges the position in this country that the government has to do everything alone, and that it is a major driver of social change.”

People interested in registering for the initiative can visit the LiveWell clinic for more information.

(SB)