It’s inevitable that with every New Year celebrated, exercise, eating healthy and getting into shape are consistently at the top of one’s proverbial list of resolutions. It’s also inevitable that as time goes by, even the most well-intentioned resolutions never seem to stick. This year, the City of Fairhope is hoping to help residents stay focused, and stay active, by implementing a community initiative: Get Fit Fairhope. 

 

“It’s been a vision of Mayor Kant’s to have a program that could involve the whole community,” said Director of Community Affairs and Recreation Sherry Sullivan. “This idea has been in the works for a few years, but there are so many avenues to consider, and we really wanted to design something tailor-made for Fairhope. We’re excited that we’ve found a way to package it to attract everyone, no matter your current activity level or fitness goals.”

 

So just how will Get Fit Fairhope work? With no age or skill parameters, progress will be tracked in terms of pounds and activity participation. Participants will hold themselves accountable by logging weight lost and activity performed on the Get Fit Fairhope website at www.getfitfairhope.com.

 

“There is no pressure,” Sullivan stressed. “You don’t have to put in your starting weight or record your weight at all. The whole mission is to get our community moving, and we think it will be fun to track the collective data of everyone participating; to be able to say ‘Fairhope walked 3,000 miles this month,’ or ‘Fairhope has lost a total of 200 pounds this week.’ We want it to be motivating, we want it to be fun, and we want participants to really be making long-term lifestyle changes.”

 

In addition to providing a tracking system, the program is intended to serve as a central resource for information on opportunities for activity around town.

 

“Our community has so many offerings for residents to get out and exercise, but currently there is not one comprehensive place to find it all,” Sullivan said. “We’ll post information for things like charity runs and workshops for fitness education on our website and through social media platforms, and the recreation center will really serve as the physical hub for it all.” 

 

Recreation Center Coordinator Nate Lami said the city has so many offerings that many people just might not know about.

 

“There’s the indoor track that is free and open to the public, there’s the walking track with fitness stations at Stimpson Field; to have a program that helps get that information out to the community, I think, will be very helpful in encouraging people to take advantage of these opportunities for getting in shape,” Lami said.

 

Sullivan said this is not a contest to offer incentives or do something for a month and then returning to an inactive lifestyle.

 

“The longevity of Get Fit Fairhope will depend on the success of the program in 2016, and with community partners and the city helping us collect and post information, we really think this will help bring the community together in a positive and healthy way,” Sullivan said.