From pre-diabetic to spin coach, see how this Saint John man spun his life around
CBC
A year ago, Al McAlpine was relatively inactive, carrying extra weight that he put on during the pandemic and at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Today, the 61-year-old is fit as a fiddle and teaching spin class at the YMCA of Southwestern New Brunswick, a turnaround he chalks up to a free, four-week program that offers coaching in fitness and nutrition.
“I've shed 50 lbs now,” said McAlpine.
“I'm sure it's going to affect my health in the long run.”
The program McAlpine joined is called Small Steps for Big Changes.
It was started in 2012 by the Diabetes Prevention Research Group at the University of British Columbia.
The YMCA of Southwestern New Brunswick is one of many places now offering it to those at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
One in every three people is at risk of getting Type 2 diabetes and many don’t even realize it, said Sherry Fitzgerald, the Y’s fitness coordinator.
If you’re inactive, overweight, have high blood pressure, have a parent or sibling with Type 2 diabetes or were diagnosed with it during pregnancy, you could be at risk and eligible for this program, she said.
Small Steps focuses on lifestyle interventions.
“It's designed to help clients make lasting diet and exercise changes,” Fitzgerald said.
“The good news is that early action with even small changes in diet and exercise, you can prevent Type 2 diabetes or delay it,” she said.
Lifestyle changes are twice as effective as drug therapies to reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, said a release from the Y, which touted McAlpine as a local success story.
McAlpine said his wife Bev was the first in the family to sign up for Small Steps.
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