Shape up Montana encourages winter fitness

As winter wends on, Montanans across the state are gearing up to shape up.

Shape Up Montana, a project of the Big Sky State Games, began its 13th year on Feb. 1 and will continue through May 1.

The program began as a way to encourage people to continue to be active even when the weather sends them inside, explained Karen Sanford Gall, executive director of Big Sky State Games.

In its early years, Shape Up Montana focused mainly on weight loss, but that has changed to a new focus on general wellness. People interested in losing weight still can keep track of the pounds they shed.

Gall said that, generally, when people focus on overall wellness, the weight loss component takes care of itself. Wellness — which includes healthy diet and incorporating physical activity — tends to keep people thinking positively and moving forward, she said.

“When people are focused on weight loss, when they’re not having success or the scale’s not moving, they tend to drop off,” Gall said. “When creating a healthy lifestyle habit, where tomorrow is a new day if you didn’t get your steps in or your run in, tomorrow’s a new day and you can re-energize and refocus and find something positive about how to carry on in a good way.”

More than 5,000 people participated in Shape Up Montana last year, including Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks employees who have formed the team “The Walking Tread.”

The 10-person team includes some veterans, including team captain Debbie Broderick, and a few newbies like Kqyn Kuka.

“It makes you work a little harder,” said Broderick, who hits the gym regularly.

Kuka jokes she’s in it for the glory — she wants her team to win, she said with a laugh. But the FWP warden, who sometimes spends hours driving in a truck, doesn’t mind the extra incentive to move around.

Neither does her co-worker Brad Burkett, who said he often sits at his desk for much of the day. Knowing he’s recording his activity regularly gives him a reason to get up and walk.

The members of the large team have come up with personal fitness goals. For some, it’s about losing weight.

For others, it’s about getting fit.

Holli Langlieb pointed out that, with road race season coming, this is the perfect time to get serious about training.

In fact, the team is thinking about participating in the Ice Breaker Road Race together on April 26.

One of the advantages of Shape Up Montana is that teams can indicate their present activity level and compete with other teams of the same level. So a team new to fitness won’t be comparing numbers with a team of marathoners.

The program also embraces the idea that all movement, even if it isn’t vigorous exercise, brings advantages. So household activities like vacuuming the living room may be counted toward overall activities, Gall said.

“So it just makes people aware that if I just walk a little bit further to work, or park further away, or make the effort to shovel the walk, those kinds of things that people didn’t look forward to, they’re now trying to incorporate into their day,” Gall explained.

The program encourages vigorous, break-a-sweat activity too, but Gall pointed out that keeping wellness in mind on a daily basis can shift work or home culture. Maybe an office decides not to bring doughnuts or snacks to work or holds walking meetings instead of meetings in conference rooms.

“We’re in a world where, unlike our parents and grandparents, where they were very physical and labor-intensive, we’re in a world where we’re clicking and moving our fingers, a lot of us. So we need to be mindful of that and of course choose healthy nutrition,” Gall said.

Shape Up Montana teams can expect to have access to weekly activity videos, changes to amass “bonus miles,” the chance to participate in a virtual walk during March and regular nutrition information from a registered dietitian.

For the kids, there’s Big Sky Fit Kids, a free program for groups of 10 to 30. Classrooms and scout groups have embraced the concept, with elementary and middle school aged kids learning about healthy eating and activity.

“We get a ton of kids who participate” Gall said.

For more on Shape Up Montana or to sign up a team, visit www.shapeupmontana.org.

For more on Big Sky Fit Kids, go to www.bigskyfitkids.org.