A health survey completed by Manchester residents in 2015 revealed that 68% of Manchester residents were overweight or obese and only 55% get the recommended 150 minutes of exercise per week. Using these statistics as a starting point, the Manchester Wellness Coalition proposed a program call MMLB to encourage residents to move more and lose weight. The 5 Healthy Towns Foundation provided $7,600 so that the Wellness Coalition could provide Garmin Vivofit activity trackers to 100 people and prizes each month. Participants didn’t compete against each other but instead worked together toward donating up $750 (if 2,000 lbs were lost)  to a local non-profit organization.

The program started August 27, 2016 and ended January 15, 2017. Participants were asked to send in activity reports from their trackers every week and to weigh in at the Manchester Wellness Center once a month. The program was offered free to all Manchester residents.

This week the Wellness Coalition announced the results. They gave out all 100 activity trackers, as well as having many people join who already had an activity tracker. While 150 people registered, 113 were active in the program. Sixty-two people participating in the program lost a total of 328.4 pounds over this 3 1⁄2 months. Wellness Coalition member and one of the MMLB program organizers, Ruth VanBogelen, stated, “We think this is success because this program was run over the fall/winter holiday seasons when most people gain 5-10 pounds!”

Increased activity was also a goal and over the course of the 3 & 1/2 months, participants took 80,100,601 steps which added up to 35,141 miles; 29 people accumulated over 1 million steps themselves. “Together we walked around the earth more than once (24,901 miles)!” VanBogelen added.

Participants voted on a local non-profit to receive the monetary donation. Manchester’s Community Resource Center which won the vote will get $123, the same percentage of $750 as the amount of weight lost is to the original goal of 2,000 lbs. Some participants want to continue, so if more weight is lost, another donation will be made at the end of April.

MMLB was part of the Manchester Wellness Coalition’s Year 5 Plan and was funded by 5 Healthy Towns Foundation. The Manchester Wellness Coalition’s next general meeting is Tuesday, January 24 at Noon in the Village Room, lower level of 912 City Road. Come help make Manchester a healthier place for our friends, families and neighbors!