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SCU exercise program helps motivate participants |
 Dr Andrew Binns with SCU student exercise physiologist Rhiannon Holden and her ‘student’, Judith Light, who were presented with a certificate of achievement.
A third group of obese patients recently ‘graduated’ from the School of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Southern Cross University. Referred by their GPs, the patients, all with metabolic, mechanical and motivational problems, were matched with exercise physiology students in an eight-week program.
The program, run annually, is individually tailored to the patient’s needs and aims to improve their quality of life, BMI, waist measurements, fasting lipids and BSL, LFTs and HbA1C where appropriate.
“The model put together at SCU augurs well for the future with the recent addition of exercise physiologists to MedicarePlus’s Team Care Arrangements,” Dr Andrew Binns said at the breakfast held to celebrate the end of the program.
“We are lucky to have already been involved in this for a few years and with the evidence we get from here, we hope to be able to expand this program.”
Participant Alan Gerrish, referred to the program by Dr Binns, said he was delighted with the program, which he has just completed for the second time.
“It actually got me motivated. Between last year and this year, I’ve been working hard. I have lost one stone in weight and walk at least three times a week for at least an hour.”
Mr Gerrish is diabetic, asthmatic and has emphysema. He says the program has helped him to feel better. Before joining the program he would get two or three chest infections each winter. This year he got just one, which was milder and did not last as long as previous infections.
Doing the program again this year has also helped to keep him motivated, he says, as well as doubling the improvements to his fitness levels and general health.
“It’s made a big difference to my health. It’s a great scheme.”
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