If done with the right support around you, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is not that difficult nor does it require hard work, that’s the lesson teaching staff at Vaimauga College have learned. 

The school recently conducted a weight loss programme for female teachers to encourage them to live healthy lifestyle.

The President of the Female Teachers’ Association, Tagaloa Folasa Malagafauolo, told the Samoa Observer that the fitness challenge benefits all members of staff in an inclusive way.

“It’s on our sixth week now of our nine week challenge with the main objective of staying healthy and losing weight,” she said.

“The challenge has also interested students and motivated them.”

The College consists of 26 female teachers. A total of 20 are participating in the programme because the other six are elderly or facing health issues that prevent them from joining.

Female teachers involved in the programme were awed by conquering the challenges of healthy eating, healthy lifestyle and beating obesity before they started the challenge.

But with everything settled they managed to push through. 

So far every participant has shed kilos from the first weigh in and they are continuing to achieve the programme’s main goal: improving their health generally. They also say that the initiative has an impact on their classroom performance.

Tagaloa Folasa Malagafauolo told the Samoa Observer about their plans for their fitness challenge.

“We plan that only three days a week that is compulsory for all the challengers to attend a compulsory class at Herbalife headquarters at Heems gym,” she said.

“Sticking to healthy eating is mandatory to all the challengers and it is well monitored in the form of a group chat through social media so that no challenger can easily fall off on a daily basis.”

Participants cite teamwork as a great motivator and believe it fitness challenge and it has helped each other to successfully lose weight. 

The College promotes a healthy lifestyle including encouraging teachers to walk.  They educators say they are also setting an example for the school’s children and how to avoid bad habirs.

They will conclude their fitness challenge with a prize giving at Taumeasina Island Resort on 27 September to provide awards to the most committed participants as well as other prizes.

The President of the Female Teachers’ Association of Vaimauga College said the programme could benefit from sponsorship.

“We will seek help from different companies,” she said.