Hastings woman aqua pumps her way to health

Hastings woman Amy Jolly has changed her lifestyle after trying out Sport Hawke's Bay AquaPump classes. Photo / Supplied

Fifteen kilograms and a negative mindset; that's what Hastings woman Amy Jolly has lost over the last 12 months all thanks to a little push in the right direction.

Ms Jolly would be the first to admit she was in a bit of a rough place one year ago.

She was stressed in her job, with study, in a bad relationship and to top it all off was a stress eater which didn't help any part of her lifestyle.

One day a friend told her to try out one of the Sport Hawke's Bay supported AquaPump classes at the Swim Heretaunga Pool in Flaxmere and while she was at first reluctant, she was egged on and finally gave it a go.

"I'd always loved being in the water," she said.

"It had been such a long time since I'd actually been in but I loved it. For the first three weeks I just went once a week and now I'm there twice a week, every week as well as walking two to three times a week."

Ms Jolly also noted it had been great to do something a bit different than just go to the gym, and has now purchased her own set of weights to continue exercises in her home pool.

"I tell my friends all the time that they created a monster. Just getting into something like this has helped so much," she said.

The classes became like "a social night out" for Ms Jolly, who believed this changed her whole mindset.

"Some of my friends do the class too. There's a range of people that come from those who play league and wanting to keep fit or others on the Green Prescription programme."

She now works at the Eastern Institute of Technology and has been able to hook into some of the offerings that Sport Hawke's Bay has incorporated into their WorkFit programme, including cooking sessions and health checks.

"I've seen Amy a few times over the last year and have been amazed by her progress," Sport Hawke's Bay's WorkFit co-ordinator Olivia Mador-Puna said.

"When I had a chat to her, the biggest change I noticed was her attitude and positive mindset toward her lifestyle. She's very positive and confident about where she is at now.

"It just goes to show that if you start off with small steps and something you enjoy, you're more likely to stick to it."

Ms Jolly said it was definitely about changing your lifestyle, rather than trying a new fad.

"Sustainable changes have made me a lot more positive. Just starting the classes made me want to eat better so the exercise and the food side of things sort of coincides together."

The biggest key factor Ms Jolly found in her new lifestyle change was enjoying what she was doing.

Last year her primary goal was to get healthy, not necessarily to lose weight, but that was an inevitable byproduct and this year her goal was to get abs.

"I just want to keep being healthy, but this year's goal is to at least try and get abs. That would be nice."

For more information about Sport Hawke's Bay's WorkFit programme, visit www.workfit.org.nz or call (06) 845 9333.