BRISTOL – The parishioners of St. Elizabeth Church have been exercising, losing weight, eating healthier and strengthening their spirituality thanks to an innovative new wellness program initiated earlier this year by Assistant Pastor Father Scott Pontes, who decided to wage war through exercise against an unhealthy lifestyle that he was living.
“Pound Away the Pounds with the Padre” features a total-body walking program created by fitness expert Leslie Sansone designed to burn fat, shape and tone muscle and build bone strength.
There is no charge to attend the classes, which follow a DVD broadcast on a large TV in the parish gymnasium. Father Pontes leads the class as Sansone, who is featured in the video, encourages the exercisers to actively walk in place, bend, stretch and kick to the beat of lively music.
Instead of paying a fee to take the class, participants donate a nonperishable food item to benefit the Friends of St. Elizabeth Food Pantry, which helps feed almost 70 families in the parish.
Father Pontes noted that he has struggled with weight issues since he was a teen, and added that his own journey to improved health began late last summer, when he developed stomach pains and fatigue.
“When I bent over to get my shoes before Mass, I was in tears,” Father Pontes recalled. Medical tests indicated that he was suffering from pancreatitis, gall bladder disease, a fatty liver and diabetes. He was placed on a vegan diet for two weeks, and began taking several prescriptions and insulin as he fought to regain his health.
“I ate whatever I wanted,” Father Pontes admitted. “I wasn’t making the best choices.”
With the assistance of nutritionist Mary Proietta, the determined priest changed his diet, forgoing favorites such as fatty meats, white bread and sugar-laden desserts.
“I eat tons of vegetables,” Father Pontes emphasized, adding that soon after being diagnosed with the health issues, he began taking long walks around Bristol. He recites the rosary as he pounds the pavement.
While Father Pontes has lost more than 40 pounds, he said that his journey is not about numbers, rather, it is about adapting a healthier lifestyle that he can maintain for the rest of his life. One benefit he has already noticed is a decreased dependency on medication.
When the weather turned cooler late last fall, a friend gave Father Pontes an exercise video produced by Sansone, creator of the “Walk Away the Pounds Program.” He began to exercise daily in the rectory and continued to lose weight.
The idea for the parish exercise classes evolved when parishioners began to notice Father Ponte’s weight loss and slimmer physique.
“It started with a little joke about having classes and it took off from there,” Father Pontes revealed, adding that he became a certified “Walk at Home” instructor in February, after completing a full-day, two-part comprehensive examination offered at Rollins College in Orlando, Fla.
“I studied for a few weeks,” Father Pontes noted, adding that after completing a written exam, he had to perform several exercise routines before receiving certification.
Sansone, who is Catholic and based in Pittsburgh, Pa., has been inspired by the parish wellness program and asked Father Pontes to offer a testimonial last month during a sales promotion on QVC, the television-shopping network based in West Chester, Pa.
Two weeks ago, Father Pontes traveled to Los Angeles to appear in Sansone’s latest exercise video, a development that Father Pontes never dreamed would be possible until he began his mission to live a healthier lifestyle.
It is important, he stressed, that people trying to lose weight pay close attention to what they are buying, increase the amount of fiber in their diet, and avoid high calorie and sugary snacks. Instead of cookies and pastry, he eats baby carrots and hummus when he is hungry.
“I feel better and I sleep much better,” Father Pontes related.
Parishioner Fatima Milhsmens said that the wellness program has strengthened her both physically and spiritually.
“We’re getting healthy and we practice our faith,” Milhsmens said, adding that by donating to the parish food pantry, other parishioners can also eat better and stay healthy.
“We raise our hands to God,” she continued, noting that prayer and mutual support are important components of the program. Mihlsmen said that the participants regularly stop each other after Mass, discuss their progress and motivate each other as they continue to exercise at home between sessions.
“My goal is to lose 100 pounds,” she revealed, adding that she has already lost 13 pounds. “I’m also going to become certified as an instructor.”
Her mother, Marylou Andrade, is also enjoying better health as a result of the motivational program.
“I’ve gone down a size in my clothes,” Andrade said. “I couldn’t walk up the stairs. Now I can walk faster.”
While most participants want to lose weight, others are taking the classes to increase their mobility.
Frank Souza, who underwent a hip replacement a few years ago, not only has lost 20 pounds, but also has more energy.
“I walk three miles every morning,” he said, smiling.
His wife, Genevieve, who suffered a stroke in December 2010, said the classes have helped keep her joints limber.
“I love it,” she said. “We’re all friends.”
Father Pontes said he would continue the classes in East Providence when he becomes pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church in East Providence on July 1. The program will also continue at St. Elizabeth once several members of the present class earn their instructor certification.
For more information about the exercise program, call 253-8366.
