It is estimated that every ten seconds someone in the world dies of diabetes.

Since 2000 the Bermuda Diabetes Association (BDA) has been using the Bermuda International Race Weekend 10K Charity Walk as one of their main fundraising events. This year they are taking a slightly different approach by using the walk to raise awareness about the disease and to kick start their latest initiative — the Live Healthy Bermuda 100 Day Challenge.

"It's (the Charity Walk) good timing in terms of being at the beginning of the year and getting people going," says BDA secretary Barbara Willis. "And it's a great walk with lots of support so we are very grateful to the BTFA for our involvement."

And walking is a critical component to the association's mission. With obesity being the primary cause of type 2 diabetes (80 percent of diabetics have type-2 diabetes) weight loss is the first and most important step toward recovery.

"Walking is something almost everyone can do everyday to increase their activity levels," explains BDA programme director Sarah Burrows. "And studies have shown that with type-2 diabetes if you lose 10 percent of your body weight you decrease the risks of diabetes by 50 percent."

Further, it has also been shown that when the weight is lost, and stays off, the symptoms lie dormant. In fact there are people who have actually stopped using insulin.

In their on going efforts to keep people active and trim the BDA has launched the Live Healthy Bermuda 100 Day Challenge.

"Terry Faulkenberry from Aspen Insurance approached us about this Live Healthy, an American programme, that we've adapted to create Live Healthy Bermuda," explains Mrs. Burrows.

"It is a team based weight loss and personal activity program that is on the Internet. You form teams of 2-10 people and every week you key in weight loss and activity hours. The concept is about motivation, positive reinforcement and competition."

The website (www.livehealthybermuda.org) also houses an abundance of healthy lifestyle information and useful links. The programme costs twenty dollars to join and includes a commemorative T-shirt. Families, friends and organisations can form teams and participate in what is essentially an island wide event.

Jane DeVille-Almond, the guest speaker at the event launch, explains the significance of the 100 Day Challenge:

"It doesn't focus on the winners, it's about using achievement within the team as a motivating force. And it's about forming a society where activity is a way of life."

She also explains that type-2 diabetes is a dangerous disease with the long term clinical prognosis being the same as type-1 diabetes, i.e., kidney failure, blindness, amputation and ultimately death.

People who are interested in participating in the 100 Day Challenge and/or creating a healthy lifestyle should visit the Live Healthy website or contact the Bermuda Diabetes Association (236-3668).

"When we think of obesity we tend to think of extreme cases when, in fact, if you are 28-30lbs overweight and your Body Mass Index (BMI) is over 30 then you are classified as obese," says Mrs. Burrows.

If you are at all concerned the BDA is capable of measuring your BMI and advising you on your risk factors. In the meantime the most important that we can all do is 'keep on moving'.