Nigel
03 October 2017
At Christmas 2016 Nigel from Burnley told us he was overweight and weighed 11 stone 10 pounds saying “I’m 52, only 5’ 2” tall, I’m classed as obese, I feel sluggish and don’t do much exercise other than swimming. I am sat at a desk or driving with my job and so it’s easy to put weight on. My wife suggested the Up and Active course and I thought it would be a good way to start and lose weight and get active. My wife rang up and made the first appointment to refer me into the service and I joined on 12th January 2017”.
By the time I completed the 12 week programme I was attending circuit training every Thursday night for an hour and also attended the gym three times a week, with swimming on an occasional basis.
I’m certainly a lot fitter now and lost almost 2 stone in weight during the 12 week programme. When I first joined Up and Active I had only been used to running across the road! I now run 5K on a treadmill 2-3 times per week, half an hour on a cross trainer and finish on a bike and weights. I feel a lot better and fitter since joining the Up and Active programme and would recommend it as it focuses your mind on various aspects of healthy living, such as portion control, what things are better than others to eat, the importance of exercise, learning about nutrition and the benefits these things bring to you. As a result of my healthier lifestyle my blood pressure has returned to a normal level.
My wife joined the Up and Active course for ladies only at the same time and also benefitted from the programme. We have recently joined the St Peter’s Centre and taken out a couples 12 month membership, so now we both go to the gym at the weekends together, which is great.
The Up and Active instructors have been great, enthusiastic and motivating. They have explained about diet and exercise in a way that makes you realise how important small changes can be to your weight and fitness. The classes have been interesting and the circuit training has been fun and I will keep attending the gym.