Home / Health / 61-Year-Old Reverses Pre-Diabetes, Becomes Spin Class Instructor After Free Program
61-Year-Old Reverses Pre-Diabetes, Becomes Spin Class Instructor After Free Program
16 Nov
Summary
- 61-year-old man lost 50 lbs through free diabetes prevention program
- Joined spin class and became an instructor, improving fitness and health
- Program focuses on lifestyle changes to prevent or delay Type 2 diabetes
In November 2025, 61-year-old Al McAlpine is a far cry from the inactive, overweight man he was just a year ago. Today, he is fit, teaching spin class at the YMCA of Southwestern New Brunswick, and has shed an impressive 50 lbs. This remarkable turnaround is all thanks to a free, four-week program called Small Steps for Big Changes, which offers coaching in fitness and nutrition to those at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
The program, started in 2012 by the Diabetes Prevention Research Group at the University of British Columbia, has been a game-changer for McAlpine. After his wife Bev first signed up and shared her enthusiasm, he decided to join as well. A blood sugar test revealed that he was pre-diabetic, which came as a shock. But the personalized counseling, goal-setting, and gradual exercise regimen of the Small Steps program helped McAlpine make the lifestyle changes he needed.
Within just a few weeks, McAlpine started seeing the pounds drop off and his energy levels soar. He became hooked on the spin classes, eventually becoming an instructor himself. "It's good for me. It's good for the membership," he says. "I'm showing up for them, giving something back." The Small Steps program has not only transformed McAlpine's health, but also allowed him to inspire others on their own fitness journeys.
