HEALTH Health board staff vow to set a good example
DOCTORS, nurses and other healthcare staff have pledged to make one small change to their lifestyles to try to set a good example to their patients.
Employees of Cwm Taf University Health Board, based in Rhondda Cynon Taff and Merthyr, will commit to the change for 30 days – dubbed the Feel Great Challenge.
Healthcare staff can pick their own challenge, which could be as simple as drinking more water every day, walking during every lunch break, cooking fresh food from scratch daily or doing a plank before meetings.
Each participant will be asked to report if they succeeded in their pledge so data can be evaluated to show the health and wellbeing impact.
Public health consultant Angela Jones said: “Being healthy and fit doesn’t have to be hard work and by pledging just one small change to your daily life you can help improve your health and feel so much better.
“We want everyone who takes part to think about how great they will feel when they have completed their 30-day challenge and then provide encouragement and support to continue with the change, start another and inspire others to join in.
“I can’t wait to see how many staff join in the Feel Great Challenge and inspire colleagues, patients and communities to see the benefit a change can make to health and wellbeing.”
The campaign will run for three months initially and aims to encourage about 1,000 of the 8,000 workforce to take part. It is being launched as a response to a recent public health report from the health board, called One More Healthy Behaviour, which outlined the continuing need to tackle increasing levels of obesity, high levels of smoking and poor diets in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taff.
It also demonstrated that while there is a significant amount of information available about the risks of unhealthy lifestyles, behaviour change remains slow.
Lymphoedema clinical lead Michelle Fishbourne, who works at Dewi Sant Hospital in Pontypridd, knows just how much impact can be made by making one small change.
From doing no exercise and being a size 24, she is now a Welsh cycling champion and a size 12 at the age of 50 – all thanks to a decision made to change her lifestyle.
She wanted to lose weight and decided to diet but knew she needed to become more active too. Running didn’t suit her but she enjoyed using the bike in the gym so decided to buy a road bike and joined Abercynon Cycling Club.
She found a real passion as well as talent for the sport. She was runner up in the Welsh Championships 50 miles time trial last September and won her age group category in the Celtic Series of seven 10-mile time trials.
A pinnacle of her cycling career was completing the coast to coast race in 12 hours, a gruelling 150 miles ride from Seascale in Cumbria to Whitby on the North Sea, including 12,000 feet of climbing.
Michelle has now decided to make one more small change – by reducing her alcohol intake as her pledge to the Feel Great Challenge.
She said: “Drinking alcohol is just empty calories and it interferes with my cycling training as I don’t train as well after a drink.
“I’m looking forward to the 30-day challenge and seeing the benefit it brings. I would encourage everyone in the health board to make one small change to their lifestyle too. Just look at the difference it has made to me!
“It has all been about small steps forward and you can feel your energy levels and confidence rising.
“My goal was to feel fitter, healthier and happier, which is how I feel as a result.”