Brent Eastwood: ‘Just do it, it’s so good’

Taking an hour or two out of your week to focus on your own health and wellbeing isn’t selfish, but essential. Photo / 123rf

OPINION

One of the initiatives 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 with your support person on a regular basis to discuss goals, achievements and 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.

The number of inspiring stories we get from the Northlanders that are supported on their physical activity journey through Green Prescription is incredible – this one is the story of Dennis Trewhella.

Drawing the analogy of putting yourself first to be able to help others can be done using the classic example of putting your oxygen mask on first before assisting others during a flight emergency. Dennis is doing exactly that.

At 86, Dennis felt like he had to do something as he was unfit and couldn’t walk very far. He’d been active all his life and was heavily involved in sport, having coached rugby and now being a life member at Kamo Rugby Club. His offspring have followed in his footsteps and played sport at high levels, including representing Northland in soccer and squash.

Dennis has battled through many serious health issues since retiring, including a brain haemorrhage and a triple heart bypass which saw him doing fewer and fewer physical activities. Subsequently, he visited his GP, who recommended Green Prescription, which he didn’t think for one minute he was going to action, as he was time-poor.

Dennis is looking after his wife, who is ill, and wanted to put all his focus into her. He didn’t feel that he would have any time or energy for anything else.

Dennis attended a Green Prescription clinic with his support person Natalie Moon and was reassured that taking an hour or two out of his week to focus on his own health and wellbeing wasn’t selfish, but essential. If he is fitter, stronger, healthier and more energised, he will have more to give to his wife. He was grateful for this as after having been in charge all his life, he felt a bit lost, and he needed help and support. The clinic provided direction, motivation and hope.

Dennis decided to attend the Sit Fit classes at Kensington Fitness and says he thoroughly enjoys everything about them; particularly the lovely smiling instructor and the other participants, although he initially thought they were old - until he realised he too was old!

Since regularly attending Sit Fit, he has noticed he can walk a lot further without struggling, including uphill. He would recommend the Green Prescription programme, and says: “Do it – it’s so good.”

At Sport Northland, we exist to enrich Northlanders’ lives by inspiring and enabling more movement, and one of the ways we do this is through Green Prescription - supporting people on their journey. If you would like some support with your activity goals, give us a call on 0800 GET ACTIVE. We are here to help.