CLIVE Myers spent 44 years in England — a period in which he won five World Arm Wrestling championships.

The Woodland, North West St Elizabeth-born Myers, who left Jamaica at age 12, having just enrolled at Calabar High School, is on a mission to wrestle the lives of people into a fit zone, using organised exercise as his main weapon.

Myers is close to introducing a Community Keep Fit Exercise programme, to be called Community Sweat Shops, as his way of working to make Jamaica a fitter nation.

In fact, the Woodland, St Elizabeth-born Myers, 66, started a pioneering programme in the Richmond Park, St Andrew community where he currently resides, but intends to expand it to other communities in the Corporate Area and later on to take it across the nation.

"I started out on a programme, but some people appear to be more concerned about being fluffy and nice," Myers told the Jamaica Observer in an interview last week.

"I want us to be a healthy nation. I have seven exercises that are beneficial to the young and the old — such a programme will bring about unification between the family — husband and wife, girlfriend and boyfriend, aunt and uncle etc."

The plan, according to Myers, is to get instructors involved in the programme. He would train them so that they can take that knowledge back into the communities.

"Ideally, people would pay a nominal fee of about $300 per day for three days a week of beneficial workout.

"For women in particular, the programme is to make them more aware of the things that are happening around them, and how to protect themselves — there are aspects of self-defence included," said Myers, who is also a martial arts expert.

"Keeping fit — a family oriented thing and exercise is intrinsic to life. I am seeing less Coca Cola-shaped women these days, so the women should get more involved," he said.

Myers believes that the community exercises programmes could be done in private homes, community centres, schools or church premises.

"Ideally there should be about 20 people per group. I am sure that this will bring about greater unification of the community," he stated.

Participants in the programme, Myers said, would have to demonstrate a level of discipline and commitment.

"Some people would start and the they don't come back, saying that its painful, but you can't achieve anything without pain... and after you feel a little pain, everything is back to normal," said Myers, who reasoned that he has left the world of fame and fortune to pursue a life of satisfaction and contentment, having relocated to Jamaica in 2003.