Personal prescription for fitness

Press, 24 April 1986, Page 9

Personal prescription for fitness

MAVIS AIREY

reports on a

new concept in health and fitness care.

Unfit, overweight, and the wrong side of forty... Jane Kerr decided to take herself in hand.

She thought of joining a fitness class, but felt out of place — “They expected you to be fit and young” — and wished she could have got some specialised advice.

From her own experience, she saw a gap in the market for a group of medical, physical, and dietary specialists to get together to offer people a personalised prescription for health and fitness.

Her ideas fell on eager ears. Jane is now coordinating what she believes is New Zealand’s first medical and physical health consultancy, which offers the combined services of an exercise physiologist, a dietitian, and a physician specialising in diabetic, nutritional and metabolic disorders.

It also has a visiting clinical psychologist who specialises in sports psychology and stress management and a visiting phsyiotherapist with a special interest in rehabilitation and sports training.

The opportunity to form the consultancy came at a time when their interests coincided, and their careers were all moving towards prevention rather than just treatment. Together they aim to offer a comprehensive health programme of medical evaluation, and correction

or treatment of health risks. This will be combined with nutritional assessment and dietary counselling, a fitness assessment, and exercise prescription. They can, also offer psychological counselling and rehabilitation after illness or injury.

“Often an exercise programme on its own is not enough,” points out physician, Russell Scott. “It needs to be coupled with dietary and other advice.” They are making a major effort to reach what he calls “the large hidden group who are at risk but don’t know it: business executives.”

All had been impressed by reading of overseas research and experience which has caused increasing numbers of companies to start health and fitness programmes for their employees. In West Germany, a .study showed absenteeism reduced by nearly 70 per cent after staff participated in a fitness programme; in Sweden it was 50 per cent. In a. N.A.S.A. study of 100 managers aged 45 to 54, more than half claimed their work performance improved after participating in a fitness programme.

In some countries, companies offer heavily reduced life insurance rates to people committed to fitness programmes.

Larger companies in New Zealand are beginning to follow suit; some

even have their own inhouse facilities. The consultancy feels that there are ways in which smaller businesses can also benefit. Part of their service is to visit companies, giving detailed health evaluations and rehabilitation programmes to employees. The cost they expect to be borne by the company. “It’s in their economic interests: they can expect a reduction in lost working hours due to sickness or injury, improved motivation and productivity, fewer premature deaths and improved company morale,” says exercise physiologist, John Edyvean. As well as companies, they see their services

being used by individuals who are interested in improving their general health and fitness, and feel in need of guidance and support, and people who are overweight. Here monitoring progress is seen to be as important as the assessment and prescription.

“Some people may need monitoring for up to two years, because reaching their goal weight may take this long, and the end part is the most difficult,” says dietitian, Janice Bremer. Their other target groups are sports participants wanting to optimise their perform-

ance, and those with medical and physical problems, such as diabetes, arthritis and cardiorespiratory diseases, which can be improved by exercising or modifying diet. For individuals, the initial general assessment will be free. Fees for personalised programmes vary according to their content. The consultants do . not see themselves as in competition with organisations such as fitness centres or weight control groups, but as complementary to them. As John Edyvean points out, they can call on the consultancy for specialised advice they are unable to provide. They see an important part of their work as education. The consultancy plans to give talks to organisations and groups such as schools, sports clubs, community groups, and those with special interests such as support groups for specific ailments, weight control groups, and the elderly. Further information about the Medical and Physical Health Consultancy can be obtained by telephoning 558-000.