Move Me champions focus on food

24 July 2007

Move Me champions focus on food

The year-long journey towards health and fitness is really starting to ‘bite’ for the three Lifestyle Champions this week. Pacific Island community coordinator Tere Torea, Health promoter Nicky Poona and Carterton Mayor Gary McPhee have undertaken the ‘Move Me’ project, to make sustainable changes to their lifestyles to increase fitness and regain a healthy weight.

With basic exercise patterns now set in place, Tere, Nicky and Gary are having some intensive advice on nutrition and eating habits from their ‘Move Me’ motivators from Wairarapa Public Health.

“I feel getting into some exercise has already changed my eating patterns,” says Pacific Island coordinator Tere Torea, who has been going to the Gym three times a week for the last 2 weeks.

“I’m not as hungry and I don’t snack as much on sweet or fatty foods. I’ve been getting lots of advice about baking rather than frying food, and snacking on frozen veges or fresh fruit. No more big feeds of pan fried steak or deep fried fish! It makes a dent on the grocery bill, too, which is important.”

“Each of our Lifestyle Champions has different nutrition issues,” says Health Promoter Tracey Winmill. “Tere needs to watch his cholesterol, Gary needs to find alternatives to beer and bread, and Nicky needs to eat more regularly, and eat more healthy food. They all need to have healthy snacks available and drink lots more water, staying away from fizzy or sugary drinks.” “We used to drink fizz all the time at home,” says Nicky.

“The kids keep asking for it, but I’m not keeping any in the house. It’s milk or water now.” Nicky’s biggest change is introducing breakfast to her diet. ‘I didn’t use to eat until afternoon, and waking up my metabolism so late in the day meant I was still hungry at 9 o’clock at night,” says Nicky.

“It’s a real struggle to make myself have breakfast, but my colleagues Anna, Wendy and Tracey make sure I have it before 9 o’clock at work – even if they have to make it for me!” After helping Nicky with a menu for the week, the Health Promotion team went grocery shopping with Nicky, to help her check food labels and compare the levels of sodium, sugars and saturated fats in the food she was buying.

“I was surprised at what I put back on the shelf,” said Nicky. “Lots of food I like is way over the guideline of less then 10 grams per 100 grams of sugar and saturated fats.”

Mayor Gary finds food a challenge, with the number of civic functions and meetings he attends coupled with his fondness for cakes and sausage rolls.

“This is a real wake-up call for people organising catered meetings and conferences,” says Health Promoter Tracey Winmill.

“It’s hard to eat healthy food if there is none on the table! Fruit platters, club sandwiches, or sliced vegetables with dips make great alternatives cakes and pies.”

The three champions had their first weigh-in since starting the programme, and all have started to change shape. Collectively, they have lost 10.5 kilos – the equivalent of 21 packs of butter. “You mustn’t use weight loss as the sole measure of success, because on it’s own it’s not,” says Anton, Tere Torea’s gym trainer at CLM Health and Fitness.

“If you are exercising, you can expect to replace some fat with muscle, which actually weighs more. We are more interested in how far Tere can walk and swim, what weights he can lift, and how regularly he is exercising.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media