Weight loser wins Bowflex exercise equipment

Onigaming’s Lois Kelly won a $1,200 Bowflex exercise machine in a diabetes initiative weight loss contest.

February 18, 2010: Volume 37 #4, Page B9

“She lost 18 per cent of her body weight,” said Healthy Baby, Healthy Children co-ordinator Joanne Copenace about the Onigaming Biggest Loser Contest, which she organized as part of the Northern Ontario Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative (NOADI). “The second place person lost 15 per cent of their body weight.”

Copenace said about 53 people entered the contest, but only about 20 continued to the end of the 12-week program.

“Every month we have a nutrition bingo,” Copenace said, explaining the bingo initiative encourages people to eat foods low in sugar and high in fibre. “Lots of fruits and vegetables.”

Copenace also holds community kitchen sessions for community members where they usually cook up to five or six healthy recipes per session.

“It encourages people to try new foods,” Copenace said. “When we’re finished cooking, everyone takes the food home.”

Kids in the Kitchen sessions are also held to encourage children and their parents to choose healthier foods that will help prevent chronic diseases, such as diabetes.

“We also have talks on what is a chronic disease,” Copenace said. “These are the things you can do to prevent diabetes. We make sure they are aware of the high rates of diabetes within the First Nations population.”

Copenace also shows the children how sugar affects their circulation system.

“We show them how your blood flows through your body,” Copenace said. “When you have a lot of sugar in your body, your blood doesn’t flow as fast.”

“We also show them what five pounds of fat looks like. It’s a real eye-opener for them.”

NOADI was implemented in 2007 after the Aboriginal Diabetes Education and Management Needs Assessment for Northern Ontario 2006 study was completed with the main goal of improving access to locally-relevant and culturally-appropriate diabetes initiatives for northern Ontario’s Aboriginal people.

Since its inception, 81 of northern Ontario’s 110 First Nations and 47 off-reserve Aboriginal organizations have participated in a variety of NOADI initiatives, including enhanced access to local health care, such as foot care and traditional medicines, improved infrastructure for healthy living and food security, such as community gardens and walking trails, and culturally appropriate initiatives for locally determined priority groups, such as children’s community kitchens and exercise groups for women.

The different initiatives have been summarized in “Sharing Initiatives: Community-Based Aboriginal Diabetes Projects,” which can be found at the www.ndhn.com website.

Dorothy Copenace, the community’s referral clerk, has also organized weekly exercise groups and family days to get people out of their homes and moving about the community.

“We have monthly foot-care clinics, and every three months we have a chiropodist come to the community,” Joanne said.

“Anybody who has diabetes or is high risk has priority.”

Copenace said some diabetics may eventually develop neuropathy, which involves a loss of sensation in their feet.

“You have to be careful with your feet,” Copenace said. “You don’t want to cut your nails too short.”

Copenace said about 60 people out of the 400-450 people in her community have been diagnosed with diabetes.

“Our youngest is nine or 10,” Copenace said. “A lot of my peers (late 30s) have diabetes already.

“Usually grandmothers in their 70s have diabetes.”