NiuMovement – July to Dec 2016

Overview

NiuMovement Active Families is a healthy lifestyles programme targeted at Pacific Island families living on the North Shore. The programme runs for 20 weeks and offers weekly nutrition and fun physical activity sessions that aim to engage the whole family.

Melesini Teulilo and her family expressed an interest in the NiuMovement Active Families programme in February 2015 due to concerns about the impact that an unhealthy lifestyle maybe having on their health. On completion of their third round, they have managed to achieve great results which have been life changing for their family.

Solution

When restarting the programme Meleseini was already fairly active with weekly netball practices, games and recreational walks with her sisters. The main concern for the family was the high calorie food and drinks they were consuming as a result of busy schedules and a lack of routine. As they had previously taken part in the programme, they had a good understanding of the concepts behind healthy eating but felt overwhelmed by the amount of change that was required. One family member commented, “we just don’t know where to start.” On sitting down with them for their initial family meeting the objective was to set some clear goals with an emphasis on small changes.

Their initial goal was around weight loss which they aimed to achieved by:

• cutting back on the amount of sugary drinks they were consuming weekly and
• having a nutritious breakfast every day.

They were also encouraged to continue being active, adding weekly NiuMovement nutrition and physical activity sessions into their routine.

Results / Impact

Meleseini and her family have done extremely well in this round of NiuMovement Active Families. Melesini has lost 1.9kgs of body fat in total and 11cm cm from her waist. Her older sister Malia, (a key influence in Melesini’s life) also achieved some great results losing almost 5kgs since the beginning of the programme.

Melesini now feels more confident when making healthy nutrition choices and receives full support from her family. “We no longer have sugary drinks in the house, we have a water cooler now which makes it easier for the whole family to drink more water.”

By completing the weekly physical activity challenges and continuing to make healthy food choices where possible, Melesini and her family were able to achieve some fantastic results.

Conclusion

Congratulations to Meleseini and her family for their success on the NiuMovement Active Families programme! Making changes to behaviour can be extremely challenging and does take time but with perseverance and commitment they have proven that you can achieve great results. The Teulilo family’s talanoa (story) is an inspiration to us all and illustrated that persistence and a can do attitude does pay off in the end. If you would like support to make some small changes to help your family move towards a healthier lifestyle you can get a referral from your doctor or nurse or you can contact us directly.