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On World Diabetes Week, Small Steps program coaches including Sherry Fitzgerald (right) held a blood testing and health assessment clinic. (Submitted by Sherry Fitzgerald)<\/p>\nA year ago, Al McAlpine was relatively inactive, carrying extra weight that he put on during the pandemic and at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Today, the 61-year-old is fit as a fiddle and teaching spin class at the YMCA of Southwestern New Brunswick, a turnaround he chalks up to a free, four-week program that offers coaching in fitness and nutrition.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve shed 50 lbs now,\u201d said McAlpine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m sure it’s going to affect my health in the long run.\u201d<\/p>\n
The program McAlpine joined is called Small Steps for Big Changes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was started in 2012 by the Diabetes Prevention Research Group at the University of British Columbia.<\/p>\n
On World Diabetes Week, Small Steps program coaches including Sherry Fitzgerald (right) held a blood testing and health assessment clinic. (Submitted by Sherry Fitzgerald)<\/p>\n
The YMCA of Southwestern New Brunswick is one of many places now offering it to those at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n
One in every three people is at risk of getting Type 2 diabetes and many don\u2019t even realize it, said Sherry Fitzgerald, the Y\u2019s fitness coordinator.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re inactive, overweight, have high blood pressure, have a parent or sibling with Type 2 diabetes or were diagnosed with it during pregnancy, you could be at risk and eligible for this program, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Small Steps focuses on lifestyle interventions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s designed to help clients make lasting diet and exercise changes,\u201d Fitzgerald said.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763339591_515_default.jpg\")
The program is targeted toward those at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. (Yeexin Richelle\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n
\u201cThe good news is that early action with even small changes in diet and exercise, you can prevent Type 2 diabetes or delay it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Lifestyle changes are twice as effective as drug therapies to reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, said a release from the Y, which touted McAlpine as a local success story.<\/p>\n
McAlpine said his wife Bev was the first in the family to sign up for Small Steps.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe would come home quite excited about it every week. And I thought, OK, you know, if it’s good for her, it’s good for me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He\u2019d been thinking about improving his fitness for years, but never got around to it.<\/p>\n
McAlpine didn\u2019t think he was pre-diabetic, but a blood sugar test revealed that he was.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt did come as a shock,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say take the plunge. Get tested.\u201d<\/p>\n
LISTEN | Diabetes Canada on misinformation:<\/p>\n
Information Morning – Saint John12:36Diabetes Canada on misinformation<\/p>\n
Diabetes Canada recently launched a campaign to combat stigma. Host Emily Brass speaks with Laura Syron, president and CEO of Diabetes Canada about the blame, shame and misinformation around diabetes.<\/p>\n
The Small Steps program includes six one-on-one sessions, each lasting an hour, said Fitzgerald.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The first part of each session is for counselling and goal setting, the second is exercise.<\/p>\n
The counselling and coaching is very personalized, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don’t just tell people what to do, we listen. We explore what matters most to them and help them find their own motivation for change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having a coach keeps you accountable, said McAlpine.<\/p>\n
They talk about good nutrition, review Canada\u2019s food guide and show you healthy choices.<\/p>\n
They don\u2019t tell you not to each chips or chocolate but advise you to keep it in moderation while focusing more on healthier foods, he said.<\/p>\n
The coach also checks your heart rate to get an idea what kind of shape you\u2019re in so you can be safe while exercising and monitor your progress.<\/p>\n
The exercises start out gently, he said.<\/p>\n
Participants can also use the Y\u2019s facilities outside of their counselling sessions, said Fitzgerald.<\/p>\n
They have full access to the Y during the program, including all fitness classes, recreation and pool programs, she said.<\/p>\n
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Participants exercise at Y facilities and receive guidance on goal-setting from a coach. (CBC)<\/p>\n
McAlpine got into the \u201cgroup ride,\u201d also known as spin class or stationary biking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt always intrigued me, but I was always a little scared to take that plunge thinking it was for young people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I put on my big boy pants. I took a spin class and I thought, you know what? I actually kind of like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Within two or three weeks he had dropped a couple of pounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnergy levels increased drastically \u2014 even mental well-being. Your whole goal changes as those pounds come off and you feel better about yourself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
McAlpine started going to spin classes five days a week.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was like blowing everybody out of the water because the pounds were falling off,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Eventually, he was invited to become an instructor.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s good for me. It’s good for the membership,\u201d he said. \u201cI’m showing up for them, giving something back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anyone interested in the Small Steps for Big Changes program can find information on how to register on the YMCA of Southwestern New Brunswick website, said Fitzgerald.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A year ago, Al McAlpine was relatively inactive, carrying extra weight that he put on during the pandemic…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":296072,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[337,97],"class_list":{"0":"post-296071","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-fitness","9":"tag-health"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=296071"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296071\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/296072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=296071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=296071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=296071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}