By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

no judgement and it's free

Hockey FIT program for men returning to Red Deer

Nov 15, 2020 | 12:41 PM

A program designed to help male hockey fans lead a healthier life is scheduled for a return to Red Deer.

Hockey FIT (Fans in Training) targets men between the ages of 35 and 65 who are fans of their local Canadian Hockey League team, and is partnered with more than 40 teams across the country.

“This is for guys whose health isn’t the greatest, and that’s costing the Canadian health care system quite a bit of money,” says Brendan Riggin, a research scientist at the Western Centre for Public Health and Family Medicine. “The idea is if we can try to get them to be more active and eat better, we can prevent some of those costs.”

Riggin, who also serves as the Hockey FIT head coach, says men’s health costs the system about $38 billion annually, with up to 70 per cent of that preventable. He says there would be an economic impact if men not just ate better and exercised more, but also reduced the amount they drink and smoke.

Participants in Hockey FIT will learn that staying physically active doesn’t have to mean going to the gym. Another benefit, he says, is that all of those taking part are going to be like-minded individuals.

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“These guys are all in the same boat, so they can support one another and there’s no judgement,” he says. “For a lot of those who’ll be participating, this could be the first time exercising in a long time, so it’s a supportive atmosphere where people don’t feel out of place.

Over 12 weeks, between 40 and 60 men attend 90-minute dry-land sessions where they learn about diet and physical activity before a round of exercise. These may take place at the arena or other local health clubs and community centres.

All necessary equipment is provided, and each session is coached by a trained Hockey FIT official.

Hockey FIT began in 2014 as a pilot and initially received funding from the Movember Foundation. It is now funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, as well as the Public Health Agency of Canada, with the hope that evidence will show the program is worth expanding to include women.

A number of spots are still available for the Red Deer sessions, which will take place starting in the new year. The program tracks not just things like weight change, blood pressure and waist size, but also psychological and social outcomes.

“We hope participants will take away the tools and knowledge they need to maintain a healthy lifestyle,” Riggin adds. “And because it’s a research study focusing on men’s health, we’ve been able to secure funding to make it free of charge for people across the country.”

The program has been adapted to adhere to all public health guidelines. Registration is available at HockeyFansInTraining.org until early January 2021.