Adrian, who was morbidly obese with a BMI in excess of 40 and high blood pressure, has improved his health and wellbeing and changed his life after losing 4.7 stone and 17 inches off his waist with Plymouth Argyle’s FIT FANS programme.
Before the programme, Adrian struggled when exercising due to shortage of breath, walking with a limp after a knee replacement due to arthritis and Carpel Tunnel Syndrome in both hands. He became restricted in all activities including walking football where he played in goal and had to give up playing golf and racket ball.
FIT FANS, a free health programme for men and women aged 35-65 who are looking to lose weight, get fitter and lead a more active life, offered Adrian a lifeline. He learned about portion control, calories and how to exercise safely and effectively giving him a more positive attitude towards physical activity and diet.
The positive changes he made whilst on the programme enabled him to lose 4.7 stone in weight and lower his blood pressure, therefore increasing his mobility and reducing the effects of his Carpel Tunnel Syndrome. Additionally, Adrian has been able to stop taking his anti-inflammatory medication.
Since completing the 12 week programme, Adrian accomplished a 25 mile bike ride and is now able to exercise for up to two hours per day without any reaction or severe breathlessness. He has also managed to have a game of racket ball and in mid-March, he played his first round of golf in three years, where he was able to walk over 7.5 miles.
Talking about his experiences on the FIT FANS programme, Adrian said:
“FIT FANS has helped me to focus my energies towards the goal of weight loss and increased physical exercise following my knee surgery in late November.
“Whilst running on hard surfaces is still not an easy option, the programme has given me additional exercise options and the ability to tailor exercise to minimise discomfort.
“Whilst the programme was not meant to be a competition, I have treated it as a challenge as such as this is the best method for me to achieve a successful result.
“It has not been an easy route but has taken a lot of dedication, time and effort as there is no easy route to successful weight loss and fitness.
“The support and enthusiasm of the whole instructing team at Argyle Community Trust and my friends on the course has meant there is always support and help when needed and the encouragement to plough on when things were not going so well.”
The EFL and EFL Trust are running a FIT FANS online campaign with sessions released every Wednesday at 5pm and Saturday at 11am. You can find previous sessions on EFL’s YouTube channel here: https://bit.ly/FITFANSonline
