FIT ROBINS allowed City fan Sam to improve his health and wellbeing after contracting COVID-19 twice

Bristol City Robins Foundation has helped Robins fan Sam improve his health and wellbeing in time for the Christmas festivities. 

After contracting Coronavirus twice, Sam’s fitness had been on the decline and he would struggle to climb a set of stairs without coming over breathless.

Sam explained: “I was sick of how I was feeling and was ready to make a change. After reading about the FIT ROBINS program, it seemed to offer a good balance of education and fitness. Unlike other diet programs I have tried in the past, this felt like it would provide me with the tools to make permanent changes rather than temporary ones.”

FIT FANS offers both an educational and physical outlook on a more healthy lifestyle. This balance has enabled Sam to continuously make small changes to his lifestyle that has amounted to huge results.  He now plans in advance to ensure he eats healthier and make better choices with food, finding time to exercise even if that is just a case of parking further away to get in those extra steps.

With the exercise that Sam has been completing, he has seen vast improvements in his physical fitness whilst losing weight along his journey.

Average weight loss statistics for the FIT FANS programme are impressive and exceed those of many other programmes. On average women lose well over 3kg and men over 5.5kg by the end of the 12 weeks. We also have evidence that lifestyle change and weight loss is sustained over the following 12 months. More than 90% of men and 85% of women lose weight during the programme with many losing a clinically significant amount.  Our data shows FIT FANS helps people to increase physical activity, reduce sedentary time, leading to weight loss, a significant reduction in blood pressure and improvement in self-reported mental wellbeing measures.

He said:  “The program also enabled me to make changes that meant I did not need to follow any strict diets or restrict what I could have. Not at any point have I felt deprived on my journey, and I feel confident these changes are something that is sustainable and becomes a part of my everyday life.”

The variation of each session has seen Sam partake in a range of exercise that keeps him engaged from playing football, circuits or even just a walk around the local area. However, a secondary benefit for Sam was the camaraderie that FIT ROBINS provided in  getting to know the other participants and supporting each other on their own journeys.

Sam praised the coaches at the Foundation, he said:  “The coaches offered support throughout the program and although encouraged they never put any pressure on anyone. It was reassuring to know that I could go at my own pace, and they would be there to offer help and advice if required.”

FIT ROBINS Lead Coach Lee Gillett commented on how FIT FANS can be the foundation for change that reaches all generations of families, he said: “It’s really tough for families at this time of year, if we can make a small difference and keep our children active and well feed with freshly cooked, healthy meals we can make a real difference to those young people.”