Community Wellness Coordinator Gabrielle Fritz and Greene County HHS Educator D’Lee Rush are showing area residents how to redefine their destinies.

As part of a 12-week fitness program, participants are discovering new ways to improve their diets and add more movement to their day.

“It is very uplifting to see the encouragement from this group to form healthy habits,” Gabrielle said. “I love seeing people excited to get physically active.”

The program, funded by a Health First Indiana (HFI) grant through the Greene County Health Department, is proving to be a great example of public health agencies collaborating to enhance their community. In addition to the health department providing funding and support, the Owen Valley YMCA offers space and instructors. The HFI grant pays for the incentives and the instructor fees.

Says Gabrielle, “With the help of HFI funding through the health department, Greene County Purdue Extension is hosting a walking program called ‘Get Fit.’ D’Lee and I have collaborated to offer this program to encourage physical activity within the community.”

“We have also included instructions for chair yoga, Silver Sneakers, and stretching to give participants an informative experience. A different healthy recipe is provided each week for participants to try, as well as relevant nutrition information. Participants also receive exercise incentives based on participation (pedometers, yoga mats, walking journals, etc.)”

Gabrielle said the idea originated with D’Lee, who wanted to do a walking program. She worked with D’Lee to find funding and nutritional information. Gabrielle was responsible for the proposal and the incentives budget.

“The health department was very interested in supporting this program because it serves as chronic disease prevention,” Gabrielle said. “We didn’t have any headaches to navigate. Everything was smooth sailing!”

Between 14 to 21 participants meet weekly to exercise and try new recipes. So far, the big hits have been chair yoga, spinach taco cups, cranberry energy balls, and strawberry banana smoothies.

“Their morale is really high, always open to a new adventure,” D’Lee said. “I keep getting asked if we will have another cohort in the future.”