Brent Eastwood: Green Prescription changing Northlanders’ lives

Carol Ann has changed her life by doing the Green Prescription programme. Here she trains with Noelene, the owner of Coastal Fitness.

Opinion

One of the initiatives that Sport Northland delivers to get inactive Northlanders active is Green Prescription, where health professionals prescribe physical activity instead of medication.

As a Green Prescription participant, you get healthy lifestyle support for up to four months. You can meet your support person on a regular basis to discuss goals, achievements, strategies or to just have a sounding board. Your support person genuinely cares and will help empower you to make the changes that you want to make.

One such participant is Carol Ann, who was born in New Zealand, but ended up living overseas after she went on a holiday to Alaska and stayed for 30 years. She said that the portion sizes, her job as a chef and the sociable way of living contributed to her weight gain. By the end of her 30 years, she was obese with poor health.

Medical staff told her she didn’t have long to live so she returned to New Zealand for her final couple of years. Having poor health, being labelled obese and being told she only had a year or two left to live didn’t sit well with Carol Ann; she was determined to fight for a better quality of life and, essentially, her survival.

After an appointment with her GP, a Green Prescription was recommended, so she embarked on this free programme with Sport Northland, joining a gym. Since Carol Ann began at Coastal Fitness, she has gone from 131 kilograms down to 105kg.

Her breathing has improved greatly, no longer needing a nebuliser. She started with doing 20 exercises and 20 reps of each. She now does 3 sets of 25 exercises; 40 reps. Carol Ann no longer has a death sentence hanging over her and instead her focus is losing more weight to be considered for knee surgery.

Noelene, the owner of Coastal Fitness, has gone above and beyond with Carol Ann and has been training her personally for no extra charge. Noelene says, “Carol Ann’s capabilities have improved greatly since she has been attending the gym as her boundaries are pushed in a safe and controlled environment”.

Carol Ann also says “the support and accepting nature of the fellow gym goers at Coastal Fitness have helped me immensely. I have made some lovely friendships and I find that everyone I see encourages me. The gym is great, the music is loud, it’s fun and I can even have a laugh, apart from when I’m on the treadmill….my nemesis.”

She has also made other changes to her lifestyle to help her succeed, including walking her brother’s dog, exercising at home, riding her bike and changing her diet to include a more nutritional menu - ceasing to buy confectionary.

Other health benefits that Carol Ann is enjoying are mentally feeling in good spirits, emotional relief and simply being able to keep up with others on walks.

Carol Ann wanted to participate in this story to motivate others into becoming more healthy versions of themselves. “Don’t change who you are, stay true to yourself but become a healthier, fitter version,” she says. “Don’t compare yourself to others but allow them to inspire you.”

Sport Northland salutes you Carol Ann; your positive attitude, fun nature and determination are the keys to your success. You can have all the support in the world, but you still must put in the work.

At Sport Northland we exist to “enrich Northlanders’ lives by inspiring and enabling more movement”, so if you would like support with your physical activity goals, give us a call on 0800 GET ACTIVE. We are here to help.