Meet Lisa Beckett
In August 2007 I went to my GP because I was feeling depressed, overweight
and suffering from extreme anxiety. My husband had brain tumours and I was busy looking after him, as well as our toddler.
To my surprise, my GP recommended a Green Prescription.
Find out more about Lisa's story |
Lisa Beckett |
|
It's all about teamwork!
Four years ago, Presbyterian minister Uili Aukuso was so close to dying that he was put on an emergency flight to Auckland from Gisborne and his family didn’t expect to see him again. Weighing more than 140 kgs and suffering from chronic kidney and heart failure as well as high blood pressure, diabetes and severe sleep apnoea, Uili's chances didn’t look good. Miraculously, Uili survived, but his doctors were blunt about his future. "Lose weight if you want to be around for your children," he was told.
|
 - Uili and his wife Suria go for a walk
|
|
Walking back to happiness
When Elsie Houma's son 'Big Dave' from NZ IDOL started to get active and lose weight, she was motivated to start her own Green Prescription, with great results.
|
 - Elsie walks towards good health
|
|
Getting the message loud and clear
When Lesley Davies' doctor told her that she needed to lose weight or face daily insulin shots to manage her diabetes, she heard the message loud and clear. Lesley wasn't about to let diabetes rule her life, so she got up and took control of her own future.
|
 - Lesley's old clothes are now three sizes too big
|
|
In his own words
A very proud Roy Scott recently completed the Green Prescription programme in Mt Roskill, Auckland. As part of celebrating his success, Roy gave a motivational speech that we’ve decided to share with you.
|
 - Roy works out on a rowing machine
|
|
A clever way to get active!
Nga Daniel is active in her community and church, she is a loving wife, mother and grandmother - and like a lot of New Zealanders, she was inactive and overweight.
|
 - Nga and Tevivi with their Green Prescription support person, Eana
|
Doctors order exercise and fun
What does a group of North Shore doctors, a regional sports trust and a Browns Bay health club have in common?
'A team approach to promoting physical activity to improve health,' according to Bron Andrews, Green Prescription Manager from Harbour Sport.
|
 - Patsy, Mary and Pat at the gym
|
Dianne finds the fun way to weight loss
Playing frisbee in the car park, walking to the furthest of the local dairies for the office milk and comparing total daily steps with her buddy, all helped busy Canterbury practice nurse Dianne to lose 20 kg in 12 weeks!
|
 - Dianne in her first triathlon
|
Matthew gets off the couch and heads outdoors
Matthew has always enjoyed outdoor activities such as running, fishing and diving. But as his life became busier, he found himself indoors more and becoming less active. It wasn't long before Matthew realised he had become a couch potato.
|
 - Matthew with Heretaunga Health practice nurse Shirley Coles
|
Pam loves her GRx
Pam Tetley-McKernon's first reaction to her Green Prescription was not very positive. She had just been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and was already depressed about having to give up so many of the foods she loved. So, the idea that she should start exercising was very unwelcome indeed!
|
 - Pam and husband in the pool with Kay Lindley, GRx Area Manager from Waitakere looking on
|
Dierdre conquers her fear of gyms!
Three years ago, after 40 years of teaching, Dierdre retired. With retirement, however, came a gradual decline in her levels of physical activity and the corresponding gradual increase in weight. Then, two years ago, she was diagnosed with diabetes and her doctor recommended that she increase her physical activity levels and lose some weight to help treat the condition.
|
 - Diedre Beard and Anthony McGrath
|
Achieving mental health the active way
Five years ago, Heather Edlington was having a rough time. A back injury and the sudden suicide of her granddaughter had shaken her terribly. Feeling unmotivated and lacking focus at work, Heather visited her doctor.
|
 - Heather Edlington
|
Dame Miriam Dell: Dancing to a different beat!
Dame Miriam Dell had two successful hip operations over a 12-month period. Following each operation she was fairly immobile for a few months and became quite unfit. She tired easily, became breathless going up the stairs to the house and struggled to get dressed. Her GP thought a Green Prescription was the answer.
|
 - Dame Miriam Dell
|
Practice nurse? No...triathlete!
As a practice nurse and busy working mother, Vicki Gundry often found it hard to make physical activity a high priority in her life. When a friend encouraged her to commit to regular dips in the local pool, Vicki thought it was a good idea and set herself an initial goal to improve her general fitness levels and health.
|
 - Vicki Gundry
|
Bill's road to a healthy heart
Just a few weeks after cardiac surgery, Bill Ballantyne received information about the Green Prescription programme. At that time, he was attending a BEAT rehabilitation programme at the Hastings Hospital run by Pip Hutchinson.
|
 - Bill Ballantyne and his wife Kath
|
Mate Pokoati - small changes make a big difference
Mate was given a Green Prescription in July 2003, because of particular health problems including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and being at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. She was also constantly feeling tired, lacking in energy and dull.
|
 - Mate Pokoati
|
Discovering physical activity after 20 years on the couch!
Gayle Theunissen feels like a new person since receiving her Green Prescription in October 2003. After her North Shore GP told her she needed to make changes to her lifestyle to improve her health, Gayle literally 'stepped up to the mark' and is now walking every day for 30 to 40 minutes.
|
 - Gayle Theunissen
|
Stranded Whale saved! Don Taylor tells his story
'The one thing I didn't want to hear from my GP was that I was overweight.
'I didn't want to diet, I didn't want to exercise and didn't want to admit that I had a health problem - basically I wanted to ignore the fact that I desperately needed to do something about my weight. Little did I realise that within a few months, dieting and physical activity would have a profound effect on my life.'
|
 - Don Taylor
|
From the morgue to the Special Olympics!
When Frank was told that the morgue was the only place with scales big enough to weigh him, he resolved to make a change of lifestyle and begin regular physical activity and healthy eating. Frank was 209 kg with a waist measurement of 200 cm.
|
 - Frank showing his weight loss
|
