Health and Wellness Update Dec22

HEALTH AND WELLNESS
UPDATE
INSPIRING HEALTHY AND ACTIVE LIFESTYLES DECEMBER 2022
In this issue...
WELCOME
Healthy Christmas
pg 2
Tēnā Koutou Katoa,
Summer is here. The days are longer, the sun shines brighter, the air feels warmer.
What is it you enjoy most about this time of year? Every season has its own sights, smells and
sounds. I love the memories I associate with summer; the smell of barbeques and freshly cut
grass; seeing people gather for outdoor activities and picnics, I don’t even mind the constant
buzz of cicadas!
As we reach this time of year, I often think to myself “why can’t summer be a year-round
season?” Aside from the kiwi Christmas and activities we can partake in, summer naturally
boosts my mood. I may be a little biased but I’m sure summer provides most people significant
benefits to their health and wellbeing, both physically and mentally.
Celebrating success
pg 3
I for one spend more time outdoors, exceeding my usual intake of Vitamin D. Not only am I
more active, but I’m also more social, tend to increase my water intake, not to mention that
I eat more nutritious, fresh foods which means fewer ‘comfort foods’. I even spend less time
watching TV!
Success story
pg 4
In saying this, in the downhill sprint to the holidays, it’s easy to feel stressed and rundown.
During these times, our well-established exercise and healthy eating routines can be
abandoned. Does that ring a (jingle) bell? I also acknowledge that not everyone gets a break
this time of year.
Whether you are taking a break or working through, I hope you find the tips to enjoy a
healthy, happy and stress-free Christmas helpful. I’m excited for you to read on to know what
opportunities our Heath and Wellness team are offering over the holiday season and in 2023.
I heard something the other day which made me smile, so noting the season, I felt it was
a timely one to share… “Gratitude is like gravy – put it on everything!” So with that said,
I pour out thanks to you; our participants; our partners and our community. You bring our
programmes to life.
Wishing you all the best for the holiday season and for a safe and happy Christmas and year
ahead!
Brooke
Health and Wellness Operations Manager
SPORT
A U C K L A N D
SPORT AUCKLAND | Level 4, Gate B, Alexandra Park Function Centre, Greenlane West, Epsom • PO Box 26599, Epsom, Auckland 1344​
Ph 09 623 7900 • info@sportauckland.co.nz • www.sportauckland.co.nz

SPORT
A U C K L A N D
HEALTH AND WELLNESS UPDATE
INSPIRING HEALTHY AND ACTIVE LIFESTYLES
HAVE a healthy, happy & stress-free
christmas
With Christmas and the summer holidays almost here,
many of us eat out or indulge at home more than usual
– in fact, it’s possibly started already! The good news
is that you can still eat, drink and be merry without
overdoing it.
Here are our top tips for enjoying yourself this
Christmas while being mindful of your health.
TIPS
1
Be kind to yourself. Enjoy your Christmas celebrations without feeling stressed or deprived. Include your favourite
foods and savour them rather than over-indulging then being hard on yourself. You can always nourish your body by
adding in more nutrients in at your next meals. Overeating one day will not break your plan, so be kind to yourself.
2
2
3
4
5
6
Hydrate! With the combination of summer heat and dehydrating effects of alcohol, staying hydrated is important. Find
fun ways to make water special – fruit, cucumber, etc. Soda water is a great option, be weary of tonic due to added
sugar.
Chill out and take some ‘me time’. Stop, breathe and delegate! There’s no need to do it all yourself; you’ll end up
feeling tired and stressed. Include some ‘me time’ every day. It might be meditation, a walk in nature or simply reading
a great book. A good-night’s sleep is also something to prioritise!
Stay active. In New Zealand, we’re fortunate to have countless green spaces, beautiful beaches, and breath-taking
tracks. 20-minutes of activity each day is all you need: plan a short walk, a swim at the beach, a short yoga session,
gardening, or a game of backyard cricket with whanau.
Learn to say ‘No Thanks’. These are two powerful words many of us need to get better at using. This time of year,
social events can come flooding in or perhaps you have lots of people asking for your help? As hard as it can feel, it’s
ok to say no. Be polite and kind in your delivery of these words, but don’t spend the festive season eating more than
you need or over-extending yourself just because you don’t want to offend or disappoint others. We need to look after
ourselves first if we want to be able to be our best for other people.
Be the one to take something healthy and delicious. If you are asked to take a plate to a gathering, show others
how delicious healthy food can be, even when you put a festive spin on it. Here are some neat ideas for Christmas…
IF YOU EVER FEEL CHRISTMAS
PRESSURE IS AFFECTING
YOU OR SOMEONE ELSE’S
MENTAL WELLBEING, YOU
DON’T NEED TO KEEP IT TO
YOURSELF – CALL OR TEXT
1737. THERE ARE TRAINED
COUNSELLORS ALWAYS ON
HAND TO HELP.

SUMMER 2022
CELEBRATING SUCCESS
GRADUATIONS NEXT WEEK!
We’re excited to invite you to join us to celebrate the
achievements of 2022 and wish each other well as we look
forward to the festive season and 2023. As our wellbeing
programmes wrapped up this week, our ‘Season’s Celebrations
and Graduations’ will take place between 12th-15th December.
We’d love you, your friends and whanau to join us. As we’ll be
providing light refreshments, please check out the days/times
below and RSVP here.
• Monday 12th December, 10-11.30am: Avondale Community
Centre, 99 Rosebank Road, Avondale.
• Tuesday 13th December, 10.30-12pm: Franklin Pool & Leisure
Centre, 29 Franklin Road, Pukekohe.
CONGRATULATIONS to our Healthy Lifestyle
Advisors Jemi, Kavneet and Priyanka who graduated the
AUT Certificate of Proficiency in Pacific Nutrition! We’re
proud of these ladies and would love to thank the Heart
Foundation and team at AUT who deliver this course.
• Thursday 15th December, 10-11.30am: Te Matariki Clendon
Community Centre & Library, 17 Palmers Road, Manurewa.
• ** Cook’n Kiwi workshop and Graduation combined: Tuesday
13th December, 10-12.30pm: Panmure Community Hall, 7/13
Pilkington Road, Panmure.
FITLIFE CELEBRATES TEN YEARS!
FitLife is a free community health and fitness programme that is initiated and run by D65 Fitness. Ten years ago the programme
launched in Mangere, and has slowly grown in presence and achieved impact for the community and whanau attending the
sessions. The programme creates a fantastic atmosphere for people to achieve transformational change through exercise,
healthy eating and whanau focussed lifestyle changes. The programme has now expanded to the Otara community as well, with 9
sessions a week being delivered across the sites.
Sport Auckland was involved in the early years with some funding support and providing a fitness trainer to help with session
delivery.
Our team at Green Prescription routinely promote the FitLife sessions to participants as we know that they will be well supported
by the D65 family! Congratulations to John and Fiona Mann and the entire crew that make things happen week in and week out
inspiring healthy lifestyle change!
3

SPORT
A U C K L A N D
HEALTH AND WELLNESS UPDATE
INSPIRING HEALTHY AND ACTIVE LIFESTYLES
SUMMER 2022
What’s coming up over the holidays and in 2023…
As we move into the festive season, whilst it feels like the pace is picking up, our wellbeing programmes and exercise sessions are winding down
for the year. Our final exercise class of 2022 is Friday 16th December.
Whilst scaling things back for 3-weeks, we shall remain connected and support our participants. Over the break, each week we will be releasing
a ‘Workout of the Week’ video and a Nutrition Webinar. You can also opt in for our weekly motivational health and wellbeing text messages free of
cost!
From Monday 9th of January, we resume all online sessions – daytime and evening exercise classes and wellbeing programmes. These live Zoom
sessions are easy to join - you may access the Zoom link and view our timetables here. If you’d like weekly reminders via text for the wellbeing
topics, please let us know.
Our community-based exercise classes and wellbeing programmes return between mid-January and mid-February. In response to your feedback,
we also aim to kick off an evening wellbeing programme (over 6-weeks) so would love to hear from you if you’d like to join. Taking 20-seconds
here to share your preferred day/time and location will enable us to best meet demand.
We acknowledge that not everyone is able to take a holiday this time of year but hope you find opportunities to relax and enjoy the company of
friends and whanau as much as possible.
SUCCESS STORY
“HELLO, MY NAME IS DAWIE
POMPALLIER;
I am sharing my journey which began two months ago when I was
200kgs+. Through regular exercise and changes to my eating, I have
been able to reward myself with consistent weight loss throughout that
time. One of my key messages to others on their health journey is that
being patient is the key to opening doors of confidence, motivation and
self-esteem.”
Prior to getting started with Green Prescription, Dawie described his
heath and wellbeing as having “a lack of exercise, bad eating habits, I
was addicted to energy drinks, had health issues and lacked confidence
and motivation.”
Through online media, seeing what others had achieved on their
personal journeys Dawie was inspired to look at his own opportunities
and take action!
“My future goal is to keep going, stay positive, be consistent with my
exercise. Share positive thoughts and ideas with others. Health-wise for
me has improved, knowing that I have do exercise has made me feel
good within myself.”
Also “seeing the results of my daily exercise, I have had positive
feedback from others sharing the same journey, particularly my
whanau.”
Dawie has a disciplined training routine at the Franklin Pool & Leisure
Centre and continues to increase his water-based exercise from week
to week. Alongside the amazing progress in fitness and confidence,
Dawie has improved his eating habits through boosting vegetable
intake, eating less carbohydrates and staying well hydrated. Dawie’s
journey continues but the solid foundations are set in place!
active families
NO ONE LIKES BEING BORED,
LEAST OF ALL KIDS!
Our Active Families programme has partnered with the
Y-Active team at the Ellerslie YMCA to offer a fun and
engaging multi-sport programme for our tamariki aged
5-13 years. This 90-minute after-school programme aims to
expose children to a variety of sports to develop confidence
and skills through movement.
Active Families supports children, youth and their whanau
to get more active and learn about healthy eating. With
new opportunities kicking off in 2023, if you would like to
be involved with our free 6-12 month programme, we would
love to hear from you!
SPORT
A U C K L A N D
SPORT AUCKLAND | Level 4, Gate B, Alexandra Park Function Centre, Greenlane West, Epsom • PO Box 26599, Epsom, Auckland 1344​
Ph 09 623 7900 • info@sportauckland.co.nz • www.sportauckland.co.nz