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Kennesaw Launches Health Initiative

Join Patch editor Gaetana Pipia and other community members in an effort to get healthy through Fit City Kennesaw.

 

I was just about to indulge in a second helping of cheesy rice when the City of Kennesaw told me to put down the fork.

While the city's announcement today about a new health and wellness initiative wasn't exactly directed toward me, it was definitely a needed reminder that I made a New Year's resolution to get fit—and I better stick to it.

Fit City Kennesaw is a community-wide program designed to combat obesity and inactivity, according to a release from the city. The initiative will promote fitness through a number of events this year, including six 5K road races.

A kick-off event will be held on Saturday, Feb. 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Ben Robertson Community Center. Baseline health screenings for cholesterol, weight, blood pressure and BMI will be offered to Kennesaw residents for free, while non-residents will be charged a $20 fee. Nutritional counseling and assistance with goal setting will be available, and  speakers will provide testimonials about their weight loss journeys.

A Fit City website will launch in February and allow participants to track their weight, nutrition and exercise progress online. Participants can also interact and share their experiences on this Facebook page.

“Kennesaw is the perfect community for this initiative," said Dr. Cris Eaton-Welsh, a health care professional and city council member. "Our city has a first rate system of parks, green spaces and trails. For years, our award-winning Parks & Recreation Department has been offering many classes, programs, and organized sports activities. It makes sense to combine our facilities and programs with a targeted focus on active living."

"Our goal is to have Kennesaw be recognized as the fittest community in Cobb County," said Eaton-Welsh.

The effort is a collaboration between the City of Kennesaw and local health care providers. Other sponsors include MopDog Creative and Strategy, Big Peach Running Company and the Atlanta Track Club.

Your Kennesaw Patch editor is officially joining in. I'll be tracking and sharing my fitness stats starting with the Fit City Kennesaw kick-off event on Feb. 4. Admittedly, the thought of sharing my weight online is horrifying. But hey, it's motivation.

Will you be joining Fit City Kennesaw? What are your health and wellness goals? Tell us in the comments.

About this column: Get fit this year with other Kennesaw community members. Related Topics: Diet, Fitness, and fit city kennesaw

Cris Eaton Welsh

6:06 pm on Thursday, January 12, 2012

I am very excited to have you on board... good news too.. your weight will only be seen by you by at the end of the year we will be able to run a statistic on all participants who chose to share their information and assess the total weight lost in the whole city, miles walked, etc... Thanks the the American Heart Association for their partnership with this program!

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Gaetana Pipia

10:30 am on Friday, January 13, 2012

Thanks for the added information, Cris. Please keep us updated about the program. Also, I'll be sharing my fitness stats on Patch as a form of personal motivation. I just hope I don't regret it!

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Donna Espy-Rypel

10:58 am on Friday, January 13, 2012

Count me in, too! Sounds like a good way to achieve results with others!

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