Small changes are steps in the right direction

While many of us are making (and breaking) well-intentioned New Year’s resolutions, one First Nation leader is sticking to his goal to live better in 2012.

Grand Chief Doug Kelly said he plans to incorporate more physical activity into his life this year.

“It’s not so much a plan as a goal in increasing my physical activity,” said Kelly, who is the grand chief of the Sto:lo Tribal Council, as well as a leader within the First Nations Health Council.

Kelly, who tells us he’s been obese since childhood, said he knew he had to do something positive for his body when a post-holiday realization hit him in the waistline.

“After Christmas I discovered that my wife was shrinking some of my clothes and she didn’t even have to wash them,” Kelly said with a chuckle. “Now that’s magic!
“It was then that I knew I had to increase my activity level.”

Prior to his journey to better health, Kelly said his work, which has him sitting behind a desk and travelling extensively, had been catering to his overall lack of physical mobility.

“When it comes to work and exercise, work always wins,” he said, adding that he often spends five or six days at work and countless days driving extensively to out of town meetings, leaving little time for himself.

But on Jan. 3, the date of his eldest daughter’s birthday, Kelly vowed to change his life and decided to make himself as much of a priority as his work.

While he is an avid, long-time golfer, Kelly said he needed to get more involved in activities that upped his cardio level and gave him the workout he needed.

Along with regular six kilometre walks near his home on the Soowahlie Indian Reserve located near Cultus Lake, B.C., Kelly has also taken to cycling, an activity he said has been a passion since his childhood.

When he is on the bike he generally rides for at least 30 minutes, although once he rode for an hour and twenty minutes, a ride that Kelly said “left my legs feeling rubbery.”

But while he may have overdone the bike ride, Kelly said he knows what his body can and can’t handle and he admits that concerns of straining himself has influenced his decision to forgo a gym routine until he loses some weight.

But while he is taking things slow at first, Kelly is conscious of the fact that this healthier lifestyle will prolong his life.

“I want to make sure that I’m in a position to enjoy my family,” he said, adding that he wants to be around to witness any future expansion of his already large clan.
“My oldest daughter has a daughter, my granddaughter, who is three years old. If I want to live to make old age and see my granddaughter married, I’m going to have to avoid some heath challenges,” he said, adding that certain health issues such as heart and stroke risk, diabetes and obesity run in his family.

“As the chair of the First Nations Health Council and as someone who is working and pushing to improve the health and wellbeing of communities, it has to happen with me,” Kelly said confidently.

In most cases health concerns are preventable and people only have to examine their lifestyle and make changes accordingly to better their health.

A long-time, self-professed ‘yo-yo dieter,’ Kelly said that his weight fluctuated in his thirties, and he would “lose weight and then gain it back and then some.”

Today, at 51, Kelly said this new journey to wellness is not so much about weigh loss as it is adopting a healthier and more active way of life. Kelly said if he can incorporate more physical activity into his daily routine then the weight will take care of itself.

“I want to make this a habit that I can keep.”

In the few weeks since Kelly began his journey to health, he said friends on the social media site facebook have commented that he is inspiring them to live healthier lives.

“People are saying that I’m reminding them that they need to do things for themselves.”

But while he may be an inspiration to some, Kelly admited that he is only human, and like most people, can feel lazy.

“It is hard some days to get motivated. There are days when I don’t want to do it. But those are the days when I have to do it.”

Although Kelly said he is not on a strict diet, he is trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into his meals and said he has cut down on cola and potato chips, foods he admits he loves.

Asked if he had any tips or words of encouragement for others striving for a healthier 2012, Kelly simply said making small changes are steps in the right direction to a healthier life.

“I think the stress of day-to-day life and especially struggling to make ends meet can be difficult for some.”
Active living mustn’t break the bank.

“It doesn’t have to mean an expensive gym pass,” he said. “It can be a walk along the river or the beach.”