Northern Lights Holistic Wellness center gears up for fitness
Northern Lights Holistic Wellness center gears up for fitness
By MARVIN BAKER
A new program aimed at dramatically improving health and wellness on the Fort Berthold Reservation, is starting out with 40 target families in its first year and will add 40 in the second year.
The goal of the Northern Lights Holistic Wellness program is to significantly benefit the community through involvement with the youth ages 5-18, their families and elders. It is designed to incorporate mind, body and spiritual techniques and to involve the community.
Program coordinator Darian Morsette is excited that fitness and nutrition are a part of the overall process because $100,000 in new exercise equipment has been ordered for Northern Lights and will add a new dimension in fitness to the reservation.
He said it’s important to remember that holistic wellness also incorporates parents and elders as well as the children. It is believed that if the entire family is involved, the better the long-term benefits will be. Healthier families, a stronger community and awareness are paramount in the success of this program, he said.
“We’ve had mom and dad exercising and the kids are at home or vice versa,” Morsette said. “Now, we want them both here. But if a child wants to be part of a program and the parents aren’t involved, we’ll find a volunteer mentor to work with them.”
According to fitness instructor Jason McGrady, the goal is to get everyone participating into a more healthy lifestyle.
“Fitness can be fun and with this new equipment coming in, that will make it better,” McGrady said. “It will be community friendly.”
