Lynch’s Pharmacy, Lower Main Street, Castleisland is teaming up with the recently launched RTÉ Operation Transformation Million Pound Challenge.
The nationwide, Irish Pharmacy Union is offering a free weigh-in service for local people who wish to take part in Ireland’s bid to shed a million pounds over the next 12 months.
There’s no excuse, you don’t even need a weighing scales to take part as all will be provided in 800 pharmacy centres throughout Ireland.
One Million Pounds Off
Lynch’s Pharmacy will, at 11am each Saturday morning, provide a recipe book and advice as well as the weigh-in free of charge as part of the Operation Transformation driven goal to rid Ireland’s increasing girth of that incredible One Million Pounds over the coming year.
Operation Transformation, sponsored by Safefood, returned for its ninth season on RTÉ One on January 6th, 2016, and this year is issuing a massive challenge to people across the country to collectively lose one million pounds in one year.
The challenge is inspired by an initiative from Oklahoma where Mayor Mick Cornett decided to take action in 2007 after a fitness magazine ranked his city as one of America’s most obese places to live.
Going on a Diet
Shocked, Mayor Cornett announced that the city was ‘going on a diet’ and, admitting that he was obese himself, he challenged the citizens of Oklahoma to join him on a weight loss programme to collectively lose one million pounds.
Mayor Cornett lost three stone and the city joined him with more than 50,000 citizens registering to track their weight. Local restaurants and gyms were encouraged to support the campaign through healthy menu choices and discounts. Oklahoma City was redesigned to make it more ‘walkable’. Five years later, the city hit its million pound weight loss goal and landed a spot on America’s Top 10 fittest cities.
Fattest Country in Europe
Operation Transformation is challenging the people of Ireland to go one better by losing that million pounds in just 12 months. Last year, news broke that Ireland is on course to become the fattest country in Europe with nearly two-thirds of the population overweight or obese. It’s time to take action and what better way than to work together to lose one million pounds?
Health Minister Leo Varadkar said said he is ‘blown away by the ambition of Operation Transformation for 2016 with this fantastic initiative.’
“They are aiming high but if we all pull together as a nation I think it can be done. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising, and it would be fantastic to mark that by making Ireland healthier than ever before. I hope that two new Government policies to be announced shortly on physical activity and obesity will help Ireland to achieve this new goal,” said Minister Varadkar.
Healthy Ireland
Supported by Healthy Ireland, the Operation Transformation Million Pound Challenge began on Wednesday, January 6th, 2016. Registration opened during the first episode of Operation Transformation at 8.30pm on RTÉ One.
People in the Castleisland area can check in at 11am on this Saturday morning January 9th for their free weigh-in and become part of the great Irish weight-loss drive of 2016.
