Gym makes a new woman out of Lucy
AWIDOW who became overweight and unhappy following the death of her husband has hailed the community gym that helped transform her life.
Lucy Neild, 69, from Avondale in Edgeley, said the staff at Life Leisure centre at Stockport Academy helped her pick herself up after the loss of her husband, which had taken its toll on her health and mental well-being.
She had put on more than four stone while caring for her husband and became so low she couldn’t leave the house.
But with the help of her physical activity coach Paul ‘Rocky’ Lindley at Life Leisure, who she was referred to via the Physical Activity Referral in Stockport (PARiS) scheme, she has been able to shed the pounds and find a new lease of life.
Lucy, who was spurred on to join the gym by her son Matthew, said: “I’d been with my husband since I was a teenager. When he died all my feelings went.
“I was at my lowest point, physically and mentally. The PARiS scheme has not only lifted me mentally, it has also trans- formed my body.
“My metabolic age is 53 and I feel like I have a better figure than I did when I was 18. Before, the arthritis in my spine, knees and feet meant I struggled to get out of the bath or reach things on the bottom shelf. The exercise has made me much more flexible and strengthened all my bones.”
The PARiS scheme provides residents with an expert physical activity coach for people with chronic health conditions.
The boost to Lucy’s mental and physical health meant she shed her extra weight, ate more healthily and kick-started her social life. Lucy’s diabetes has also improved, and all the signs are her medication will be reduced next time she visits the doctor.
Rocky, who has been working with Lucy for three years, said she is the perfect example of how activity can change a person’s life, no matter how old.
He said: “It was evident to me that she was emotionally low, struggling with life in general and it was all beginning to take its toll.
“I took the initial step of meeting up once a week with her at my gym session – this gave her a routine and got her in to a ‘good habit’ of attending.
“What a transformation, and again, another fine exemplar of how activity/ exercise intervention can change a person’s life as well as reducing the strain on NHS resources.”