Nineteen-year-old Troy Ruhe thought he had it all figured out. He loved playing sport – rugby, basketball, skateboarding, Cook Islands dance. You name it, if there was movement, he wanted in on the game.
So it was a no-brainer to become a PE teacher once he left secondary school. Ruhe duly enrolled at the University of Otago – which was when the plan started to become more complex.
"Once I went to Otago, I realised that PE in school was only a small part of physical education," he says. "Through my study, I got into the science of everything and learned how exercise is like medicine for the body. Diabetes and blood pressure, for example, if done properly can be managed by exercise. You don't always need meds to improve things. Unlike meds, exercise also has social and cultural benefits."
Ruhe was excited: "Back then I thought becoming a PE teacher was the only way I could make a difference helping people being fit and healthy."
His degree opened his world to a much bigger picture. While science, nutrition and biology were a part of the study, Ruhe was more interested in what makes people tick: "I wanted to understand people's behaviours, what makes them move more and the optimal ways people could move in communities."
This led him to volunteer at Dunedin breast cancer clinic, ExPinkt, where he worked as an exercise trainer, tracking women's progress. His love of helping people was reaffirmed.
"I've always felt that my purpose in life is service. If I get an opportunity to make a positive impact in people's lives through something that I love, it is the most fulfilling feeling being able to help with that lifestyle change."
Nearly 10 years on from his first day, Ruhe is still at the University of Otago, but he is now Dr Troy Ruhe, a research fellow in the School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences.
His interest in helping people, along with his love of sport and movement, combined to become the topic of his PhD that saw him create a community programme for Pacific Islanders in Dunedin and in the Cook Islands.
His programme combined Cook Island dance with resistance exercise and he took his training regime to members of the Pacific community to test the health benefits on participants. The programme was a success – both groups showed improved general health parameters as well as improved cardiovascular fitness.
Ruhe says improving people's health and attitude is one of the most rewarding aspects of his career: "It is the most heart-warming feeling seeing the realisation in each individual when they have the capability to move and feel better."
He says anyone interested in sport, science, and nutrition should check out the options available at Otago. "The lecturers will not only give you all the tools you are ever going to need in terms of learning and wanting to learn, but they also drive you to be interested and curious about how you can change the world. That was how I became interested in doing a PhD…I could explore."
Students need to keep an open mind when it comes to career choices, Ruhe says, as there are many different options young people aren't aware of.
"You can be that person on the ground making a difference, or you can make the rules and do something at a policy level. Being able to see the big picture from the beginning - that's awesome.
"Everyone thinks being a PE teacher is the only career option but, in my career so far, I have lectured, I am now a research fellow, I have worked for the Ministry of Health. I have even worked for the World Health Organisation on policy.
"I know people who have gone into sports governing bodies. I go to different conferences and I see people I studied with and they may not necessarily be working in sport and recreation any more, but they are in some sort of leadership role in the sector."
"Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Science opens up so many opportunities to influence the way people move. From the physiology of a cell that changes in response to stressors of exercise, to the implication of policy around active transport and education, to everything in between in wider society," he says
"Movement is the fundamental element and we get to explore ways to be inclusive and sensitive to the needs of communities we want to serve."
Ruhe says people should think about postgraduate study as it provides more career opportunities and gives a student "that X factor".