Belizeans urged to adopt healthy lifestyle

Belizean men, women and children are urged to “run, walk or ride toward a healthy lifestyle” as part of Challenge Day 2002. According to Councillor Lillette Barkley-Waite, this second observance of the day, on May twenty-ninth, is sponsored by City Hall.

Lillette Barkley-Waite, City Councillor

“A way of fostering healthy municipalities and in the past Brazil has always worked with us and has spearheaded the programmes surrounding Challenge Day. So consequently, this year we’re connected with a city in Brazil that has a population of about seventy-seven thousand people, so what they do is they match cities with populations. And Belize City Council has decided to do a run, walk bike-a-ton around Belize City in trying to encompass and to facilitate residents of all spheres of life. So that it’s not for City Council workers or people who normally do fitness training, it’s for the whole city to be involved.”

Ann-Marie Williams

“What is the aim of the activity?”

Lilette Barkley-Waite

“The aim of the activity is to stimulate people to start thinking about doing things that will be beneficial and healthy to our livelihood, to our well being. As you now, a lot of times we in Belize tend to not be involved in exercise, not be involved in a lot of healthy programmes. We want to bring this sensitisation to the city and to the nation as a whole that it is part of living. And especially some of us that are a little mature, we need to be able to start actively participating in healthy activities.”

“Run, walk or ride toward a healthy lifestyle” will wind its way through the streets of Belize City, beginning at B.T.L. Park on the Newtown Barracks at 5:30 a.m.