"the People's Paths!" Cherokee News Path - Cherokee Nation Hosting Weight Loss Challenge

Terry Hooper checks his weight and body mass index with the help of Hillary Fry, physical activity specialist for the Cherokee Nation. The Cherokee Nation is hosting a weight loss challenge at the Male Seminary Recreation Center in Tahlequah.

TAHLEQUAH, Oklahoma - Are you ready to get into better shape after all the holiday parties have ended? Do you need some motivation to get you started? The Cherokee Nation will be sponsoring a 12-week weight loss challenge beginning Monday, Jan. 11, at the Male Seminary Recreation Center in Tahlequah. The contest will run through Friday, April 9.

“This will be a fun way for members of the community who use the center to lose weight and become healthier,” said Hillary Fry, physical activity specialist for the Cherokee Nation. “By being part of the challenge, we hope they will become more motivated to achieve their weight loss goals.”

Members of the center will need to register and have their initial weigh-in on Monday, Jan. 11. Mandatory body measurements will be taken at the beginning and at the end of the challenge. Additional weigh-ins will be held each Friday. The option of taking additional measurements will be given to participants every two weeks during the challenge. Records will be kept not only for weight loss, but for percentage of body fat lost as well.

“Several people come to the center with the goal of losing weight, but in reality they want to lose body fat percentage. We have had people in our program who have lost several percentages of body fat, but didn’t really lose weight. By losing the body fat, though, they looked healthier and thinner,” Fry said.

More than a workout center, the Cherokee Nation Male Seminary Recreation Center is fashioned after successful public recreation and fitness centers like the YMCA and YWCA programs focused on families and offered in many large cities. The center offers ongoing activities that include a variety of cardiovascular and strength training equipment, physical activity classes including yoga, aerobics, kick-boxing and core training, recreation leagues for adults and youth in basketball, softball, soccer and Cherokee stickball, health promotion classes including smoking cessation, healthy cooking, senior fitness and nutrition, and walking/running introductory classes. The center also offers nationally certified personal trainers to assess individual needs for physical activity, nutrition and health promotion. On-site trainers will also develop personalized training plans based on individual needs.

The center is open to the public and is located at 1501 Graham Avenue, just off of 4th Street behind Cherokee Elder Care and Go Ye Village. The facility can be used free of charge by Cherokee Nation citizens and employees and their immediate families. A small monthly fee will be required for all others. Hours of operation for the center are Monday – Thursday 5:30 a.m. – 9 p.m., Friday 5:30 a.m. – 7 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 noon – 5 p.m. Child care is available at scheduled times. For more information contact the center, phone: 918-453-5496.