How did the intervention go?

I feel that our intervention was very successful. Although our client was not able to reach his end goal to get his weight down the 80 kg, we were very successful in helping him make a start on this goal as well as motivating him to exercise more in the future. One reason why Dennis was not able to lose the amount of weight we anticipated may have been due to his medical condition or the medication he was on for this reason. Carol Sorgen, a well known journalist, has stated that lack of weight loss, while on a healthy diet and consistent exercise is most likely due to a medical condition, or a specific medication. Due to his heart condition, Dennis has been taking daily medication such as Nordip, Asprin and Lorstat to remain in a healthy condition. It has been proven that Lorstat can prevent weight loss, if your doctor has not prescribed you a set diet plan.

What would I do differently next time?

Next time I would ensure our client had a clean and healthy diet before starting the intervention. Even though Dennis already has a reasonably healthy diet, it may not be suitable to the medication he is taking, while trying to lose weight. Next time I would also explain the intervention in more depth as I do not think our client thoroughly understood what the intervention entailed.

What was the client feedback?

Our client felt very positively towards our intervention as he was motivated to continue the exercise after our intervention had finished. He also started to feel very confident in himself, his mental health and fitness towards the end of the 6 weeks. Overall, he is very happy that we have involved him in this program, and feels that his results were quite successful in motivating him to start on his goal.

Have I changed a life?

I believe that I have changed a life. Both our clients mental and physical health has been improved, and he feels as though he has been greatly benefited. Along with Nordip this physical activity would have helped Dennis to lower his overall blood pressure, which will also assist his body in dealing with his heart condition in the future.

This was the 6th and final week our intervention was put into place. This week we hoped to receive very positive results on our clients progress and to help him reach his long term goal. Dennis has completed the set exercises as well as his usual activities and has answered our reflection questions below.

Overview of week 5

Monday: Jogging for 60 minutes at 80%

Tuesday: 30 minute PT session and 15 minutes on Cross Trainer at level 10.

Wednesday: 60 minute walk along waterfront at Redcliffe. Vacuum and wash floors at Unit for 1 hour.

Thursday: Travel to Farm. Repair pump cover, service bee hive, go for Walk up to excavator and back 40 minutes, 20 minutes uphill.

Friday: Walk to back paddock down hill 45 minutes then walk back all uphill 50 minutes, very strenuous.

Saturday: Drive to Coonabarabran, go walking at Coonabarabran exploring the town for 90 minutes.

Client Feedback

Q1. How intense was the workout? (rate 1-10)

A. ‘Workout was different due to us going away however we managed to do a reasonable amount of exercise.’

Q.2 Are there any changes we need to make to the program?

A. ‘ The program has been great, thank you.’

Q.3 Has this program effected your mental health?

A. ‘My mental health is good. The program has been very positive.’

Q.4 How do you think you have progressed throughout the week?

A. ‘I believe my fitness level has improved each week.’

Q.5 What did you do in the 30 minutes of activity of your choice? Would you like to continue on with this for the following weeks?

A. ‘Activity of my own choice was exploring Coonabarabran’

Q6. How did our set walking/jogging/running sessions go?

A. ‘Walking and Jogging were beneficial, helped my stiffness in particular.’

Q7. Did you miss a training session this week? How do you think your mental health has been effected by this?

A. ‘I haven’t missed any sessions completely just substituted different activities.’

Q8. Have you seen various changes to your mental health and do you feel as though you are making progress each week?

A. ‘Now that the program is finished I intend to keep doing a similar level of exercise each week going forward.’

Reflection

This week we have got very positive feedback from our client. Our client seems very happy that our intervention has finished however he has found the exercise very good for his fitness as well as his mental health. Our intervention turned out to be very successful, and both our client and ourselves are very happy with the results.

This was the fifth week our intervention was put into place. Our client has not lost any more weight in the past week, however he is very happy with the exercise and feels that he is being greatly benefited by the extra physical activity. Dennis has responded to the reflection questions and we have received mostly positive feedback.

Overview of week 5

Monday: Jogging for 45 mins at 80%

Tuesday: 30 min personal training session.

Wednesday: Sailing on Deception Bay with Moreton Bay Yacht Club.
10 racers, we finished first.

Thursday: Golf.

Friday: Jogging at Cox’s Road 60 minutes at 100%

Saturday: Finished new pump installation (filling trench, laying pipe, repairing fence – 5 hours of lifting, bending, digging).

Client Feedback

Q1. How intense was the workout? (rate 1-10)

A. ‘Workout was pretty intense’

Q.2 Are there any changes we need to make to the program?

A. ‘Hopefully it is nearly finished’

Q.3 Has this program effected your mental health?

A. ‘My mental health is good the exercise produces very positive mental stimulation.’

Q.4 How do you think you have progressed throughout the week?

A. ‘The programme has got more intense especially this last week I’m finding the jogging difficult.’

Q.5 What did you do in the 30 minutes of activity of your choice? Would you like to continue on with this for the following weeks?

A. ‘Worked on our farm – See my Saturday activity for details’

Q6. How did our set walking/jogging/running sessions go?

A. ‘The Jogging is a bit much walking suits me better due to my age and physical condition.’

Q7. Did you miss a training session this week? How do you think your mental health has been effected by this?

A. ‘No I managed to do all the set training it took a lot of will power and effort.’

Q8. Since you are now half way through the intervention, have you seen various changes to your mental health and do you feel as though you are making progress each week?

A. ‘I believe the program has been worthwhile even though it has failed to help me loose weight.’

Reflection

This week Dennis hasn’t lost any weight, but he feels that the set exercises have helped his mental health, as doing the exercise has made him happier. As we only have one week of the intervention left, we don’t expect that Dennis will loose the rest of the weight to reach his goal however, we are hoping that his mental health will continue to improve.

This was the fourth week our intervention was put into place. So far our intervention has been quite successful. Our client feels like he is getting in lots of exercise and as a result is feeling a lot better about himself and his welbeing. Our client has responded to our reflection questions, and provided us with his current weight. Dennis now weighs 82.5 kg meaning he has already lost 1.5 kg while abiding to our program. This shows that our intervention i currently very effective and will only improve throughout the next couple of weeks.

Overview of week 4

Monday: Sort cattle – 2 hours of herding into crush (lot’s of running). Picked beans – lots of squatting for 1 hour.

Tuesday: Personal training session (bike 20 mins, cross trainer 10 mins, 40 lunges with 10kg weights and floor exercises for 10 mins).

Wednesday: Drive to Bryon Bay, to visit coffee plantation and attend meeting (lots of walking).

Thursday: Golf, then drive to farm.

Friday: Farm work – repairing cattle troughs (with shovel, crowbar, spanners, saw and hammer) 4 hours work.

Saturday: Build gabion for stone fence, 1 hour. Repaired more cattle troughs, 4 hours. Went for a walk to back paddock, 1 hour.

Sunday: Complete trench for electrical cable to dam for water pump (crowbar and shovel), 4 hours. Level area for cement slab, 1 hour.

Client Feedback

Q1. How intense was the workout? (rate 1-10)

A. Our client rated the workout from 5/10 to 10/10 (when digging trench).

Q.2 Are there any changes we need to make to the program?

A. ‘No changes are needed, just more time in the week.’

Q.3 Has this program effected your mental health?

A. ‘My mental health is fine however, I was a bit dizzy after digging the trench.’

Q.4 How do you think you have progressed throughout the week?

A. ‘Felt really well on Monday as a result of the exercise during the week.’

Q.5 What did you do in the 30 minutes of activity of your choice? Would you like to continue on with this for the following weeks?

A. ‘Yes, it was good for finishing jobs at the farm.’

Q6. How did our set walking/jogging/running sessions go?

A. ‘Walking, running, jogging got my heart rate up fairly high.’

Q7. Did you miss a training session this week? How do you think your mental health has been effected by this?

A. ‘My mental health is fine, I am doing the program as well as my usual exercise.’

Q8. Since you are now half way through the intervention, have you seen various changes to your mental health and do you feel as though you are making progress each week?

A. ‘Yes, I feel great, like I’m 10 years younger.’

Reflection

This week Dennis has lost 1.5 kg, making his overall weight 82.5 kg which is only 2.5 kg away from his goal. Dennis is feeling really good about his progress at this point in the intervention, and we expect for him to feel more confident throughout the rest of the intervention. Next week we are hoping to receive more positive feedback along with positive results.

Overview of week 3

This was the third week our intervention was put into place. This week was reasonably successful. Our client is happy with the set program at this point, and it is a suitable difficulty. However, one major problem is that our client has not lost any weight so far. To fix this problem we may need to increase the intensity as well as the amount. Our client has completed the set exercise, as well as his usual chosen exercise, and has responded to the reflection questions to give us a clear understanding of how he is going.

Monday: Set intervention workout

Tuesday: 30 minute gym session with personal trainer.

Wednesday: work – conference meeting

Thursday: Golf

Friday: Set intervention workout

Saturday: Farm work – Cutting wood, digging.

Sunday: Farm work – Cutting wood, digging.

Client Feedback

Q1. How intense was the workout? (rate 1-10)

A. Our client rated the workout 7/10.

Q.2 Are there any changes we need to make to the program?

A. No

Q.3 Has this program effected your mental health?

A. No

Q.4 How do you think you have progressed throughout the week?

A. Very well

Q.5 What did you do in the 30 minutes of activity of your choice? Would you like to continue on with this for the following weeks?

A. Worked on my farm digging and using chainsaw

Q6. How did our set walking/jogging/running sessions go?

A. All good

Q7. Did you miss a training session this week? How do you think your mental health has been effected by this?

A. My mental health is fine

Q8. Since you are now half way through the intervention, have you seen various changes to your mental health and do you feel as though you are making progress each week?

I’m feeling extremely well, really enjoying the extra physical activity. Unfortunately I haven’t lost any weight.

Reflection

This weeks intervention was quite successful. Dennis is happy with the workouts so far, however we may need to increase the intensity a lot more before the end of the 6 weeks to ensure he is able to reach his overall goal. We will also get Dennis to provide us with a measurement of his waist so we can keep track of exactly how much weight he has lost. As well as increasing intensity, we will also change the program to encourage Dennis to do even more exercise. This will help him reach his long term and short term goals while also making him fit.

This was the second week our intervention was put into place. Our client completed this weeks intervention and responded to the reflection questions. So far our intervention has been going very well, our client is happy with the amount of exercise and the intensity of the workout. Our clients results will start to quickly increase, and he will start to get closer to reaching his overall goal. I feel that our intervention is going very well as our client is happy and feels that he is being pushed and making progress. Our client is happy with the intervention at the moment and the intensity will increase throughout the 6 weeks. One thing we may need to consider is adding or altering reflection questions to get a clearer understanding of how our client is going.

Overview of week 2

Monday: 30 minute walk.

Tuesday: 30 minute gym session with personal trainer.

Wednesday: work – conference meeting

Thursday: Golf

Friday: Farm work – unloading truck and cleaning shed.

Saturday: Farm work – cutting and splitting fire wood, 4 hours work.

Sunday: 30 minute walk.

Client Feedback

Q1. How intense was the workout? (rate 1-10)

A. Our client rated the workout 8/10.

Q.2 Are there any changes we need to make to the program?

A. I’m happy with the proposed program, it is going well.

Q.3 Has this program effected your mental health?

A. My mental health is good, nothing has changed.

Q.4 How do you think you have progressed throughout the week?

A. Had a good week with plenty of exercise.

Q.5 How did you find the gym class? What went well and what didn’t work?

A. I was unable to attend the gym class as i was at our property in NSW. Because of this I had to repeat Friday’s exercise.

Summary

This week, we made some changes to the intervention program. This included removing the gym session as it did not fit in with our clients weekly schedule. Our client is happy with the intervention at this point in time however I feel as though we need to either vary reflection questions or add in some more to get a more in depth understanding of how the exercises are working for our client. These questions will include; ‘How did you find the set walking/jogging sessions?’, ‘Did you miss a training session this week? How do you think your mental health has been changed or affected by this?’ and ‘Do you think this weeks training sessions were helpful in reaching your final goal?’. Our client will also provide us with a measurement of his waist so that we can track his progress towards his final goal.

This week was the first week our intervention was put into action. We gave our client the intervention program as well as a series of reflection questions to get an understanding of how the intervention is working for them.

So far our intervention is going pretty well as our client is comfortable with the amount of exercise he is doing. One thing we may have to consider is the amount of exercise he is doing outside of the program to ensure our results are more accurate. Another thing we may need to consider is how accessible the gym is as our client travels a fair amount on the weekend. We have decided to over come this, he will repeat the exercise from Friday on either Saturday or Sunday.

I feel as though our intervention has been pretty successful so far and that as it becomes more and more intense it will be more beneficial for our client.

Our client was happy with the programs difficulty and outcome as it fit in well with his usual schedule and the workout was not too uncomfortable. We will be progressively making the workout more intense to ensure that our client is improving.

This first week has been quite successful, and it will become more and more effective through the intervention.

Some changes that need to occur include the intensity of the workout and the use of the gym as this can not always be accessed by our client.

Overview of week 1

Monday: X

Tuesday: 30 minute gym session with personal trainer.

Wednesday: Farm work – unloading truck, building compost cage (bending, squatting etc.)

Thursday: Farm work – building compost cage, building stone fence, cutting fire wood.

Friday: Farm work – cutting fire wood, loading truck (lots of walking).

Saturday: Farm work – wash truck, pick beans, bury pipe.

Sunday: 8.4 kilometer walk.

Client Feedback

Q1. How intense was the workout? (rate 1-10)

A. Our client rated the workout 8/10.

Q.2 Are there any changes we need to make to the program?

A. I’m happy with the proposed program.

Q.3 Has this program effected your mental health?

A. My mental state hasn’t changed, I’m still enjoying life.

Q.4 How do you think you have progressed throughout the week?

A. Had a good week with plenty of exercise.

Q.5 How did you find the gym class? What went well and what didn’t work?

A. I was unable to attend the gym class as i was at our property in NSW. Because of this I had to repeat Friday’s exercise.

Summary

This weeks intervention worked quite well for our client. There were a few minor issues such as access to the gym, which we were able to overcome with our client. At the moment the intervention is a bit too easy for our client however, it will progressively get harder as the intervention continues. It is clear that Dennis is doing a lot of activity outside of the intervention as well, so we need to keep this in mind when planning his exercise for the week.

Our plan is to implement a 6 week health intervention into our clients life that encourages him to be more active. This program will start off with very moderate intensity exercise such as fast paced walking that will gradually develop into jogging. This intervention with also include a fun gym class once a week to make the program more interesting.

This 6 week intervention will be in the form of both a timetable and a training program. The timetable will inform the client about whether or not he is training today, and the training program will provide details about the type of exercise he will be doing on that specific day.

We have not received professional or medical advice, however we are aware that we need to start with simple, moderate intensity activities and then slowly progress towards a higher intensity throughout the 6 weeks. This is because of the age of our client and due to the fact that cardiovascular exercise is not currently a large part of his life.

I have obtained consent from our client for social media posts about his progress and how our intervention is going.

Intervention:

• Robinson, L. (2019). The Mental Health Benefits of Exercise. [online] HelpGuide.org. Available at: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/the-mental-health-benefits-of-exercise.htm/ [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
• Pevzner, H. (2018). 10 Reasons Why Exercise Makes You Thin (Or Why TIME Magazine Got It Wrong). [online] Fitness Magazine. Available at: https://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/lose-weight/burn-fat/10-reasons-why-exercise-makes-you-thin-or-why-time-magazine-got-it-wrong/ [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
• Healthdirect.gov.au. (2017). Exercise and mental health. [online] Available at: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/exercise-and-mental-health [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
• Sharecare. (n.d.). Is exercise the best way to lose weight? | Exercise For Weight Loss. [online] Available at: https://www.sharecare.com/health/exercise-weight-loss/exercise-best-lose-weight [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
• Betterhealth.vic.gov.au. (2018). Physical activity – it’s important. [online] Available at: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/physical-activity-its-important [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
• Anon, (2019). Risks of Physical Inactivity. [online] Available at: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary/conditions/cardiovascular_diseases/risks_of_physical_inactivity_85,p00218 [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
• Medlineplus.gov. (2018). Health Risks of an Inactive Lifestyle: MedlinePlus. [online] Available at: https://medlineplus.gov/healthrisksofaninactivelifestyle.html [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
• Betterhealth.vic.gov.au. (2018). Exercise and mental health. [online] Available at: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/exercise-and-mental-health [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
• Bubnis, D. (2018). 13 Benefits of Aerobic Exercise. [online] Healthline. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/benefits-of-aerobic-exercise#benefits [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
• Bumgardner, W. (2019). Exercise Guidelines for Older Adults With Chronic Conditions. [online] Verywell Fit. Available at: https://www.verywellfit.com/how-much-exercise-do-you-need-if-you-are-over-age-65-3435396 [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
• Publishing, H. (2007). Exercise after age 70 – Harvard Health. [online] Harvard Health. Available at: https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/Exercise_after_age_70 [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
• Sorgen, C. (2019). Why Aren’t You Losing Weight?. [online] WebMD. Available at: https://www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/features/why-arent-you-losing-weight#1 [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
• https://www.nps.org.au/medicine-finder/lorstat-tablets Bubnis, D. (2018). 13 Benefits of Aerobic Exercise. [online] Healthline. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/benefits-of-aerobic-exercise#benefits [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019]. Robinson, L. (2019). The Mental Health Benefits of Exercise. [online] HelpGuide.org. Available at: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/the-mental-health-benefits-of-exercise.htm/ [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
• Pevzner, H. (2018). 10 Reasons Why Exercise Makes You Thin (Or Why TIME Magazine Got It Wrong). [online] Fitness Magazine. Available at: https://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/lose-weight/burn-fat/10-reasons-why-exercise-makes-you-thin-or-why-time-magazine-got-it-wrong/ [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
• Healthdirect.gov.au. (2017). Exercise and mental health. [online] Available at: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/exercise-and-mental-health [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
• Sharecare. (n.d.). Is exercise the best way to lose weight? | Exercise For Weight Loss. [online] Available at: https://www.sharecare.com/health/exercise-weight-loss/exercise-best-lose-weight [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
• Betterhealth.vic.gov.au. (2018). Physical activity – it’s important. [online] Available at: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/physical-activity-its-important [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
• Anon, (2019). Risks of Physical Inactivity. [online] Available at: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary/conditions/cardiovascular_diseases/risks_of_physical_inactivity_85,p00218 [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
• Medlineplus.gov. (2018). Health Risks of an Inactive Lifestyle: MedlinePlus. [online] Available at: https://medlineplus.gov/healthrisksofaninactivelifestyle.html [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].
• Betterhealth.vic.gov.au. (2018). Exercise and mental health. [online] Available at: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/exercise-and-mental-health [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].

How can a six week physical health intervention improve the lifestyle of a 70-year-old man?

Sub-questions

1. How does physical exercise improve mood/mental health?
2. Is exercise the most efficient way to loose weight?
3. What are the consequences of physically unactive
4. How much exercise is recommended for 70-year-old men?

We chose this topic so that we can focus on the best possible way to improve our clients lifestyle. This will also help our research by giving us accurate and reliable answers from our client.

For this intervention, I need to know both the advantages and risks of physical exercise and the most effective way to implement this dimension of health into a persons life.

I need to liaise with the client to ensure he is comfortable with the program assigned to him and to see if it fits into his current lifestyle. I also need to liaise with my partner Steph to make sure this intervention is accurate and successful.

We need to be able to keep in contact with our client to receive feedback on how the intervention is working for him and if it is effective or not.

I am feeling good about our project at this point in time as we have a clear plan and target.

Answers to Sub questions:

1. How does physical exercise improve mood/mental health?

Physical exercise has been proven to have a positive effect on both physical and mental health. It can help to improve diseases such as depression, anxiety, ADHD and many more. By doing exercise on a regular basis, can also help to relieve stress, improve memory, help you sleep better, and boost your overall mood. This is because people feel more energetic throughout the day, sleep better at night, have sharper memories, and feel more relaxed and positive about themselves and their lives when they exercise. For example research shows that exercise can be as effective as antidepressants for mild depression. Not only does it positively impact mental health issues, but it also helps to reduce the risk of illness such as heart and lung disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, cancer, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. This can also help people recover from a stroke and many other illnesses which especially appeals to our client.

People who do physical exercise often report how good it makes them feel. This is because doing physical exercise can help to boost self esteem levels. Exercise can also help distract from negative thoughts and can be an outlet for frustrations.

2. Is exercise the most efficient way to lose weight?

The best way to lose weight is exercise combined with a healthy nutrition program. It is essential to be conscience of all dimensions of health but the main two elements involved in loosing weight is diet and physical health. While exercise is a great way to lose weight, it is only part of the equation. Losing weight is essentially burning calories, so by making sure our client keeps up his healthy diet, he will be able to lose the weight within the six week health intervention. Not only does physical exercise benefit you in the short term, by loosing weight, but it also has large benefits in the long term. These benefits include lower blood pressure, lower blood cholesterol level, lower risk of a heart attack, unlikely to develop osteoporosis and diabetes and lowers your risk of getting some types of cancer. To prevent problems like these, most health professionals recommend as least 30 mins of moderate-intensity on most days.

The specific exercises that help you to lose weight can vary. The main type of exercise used to burn weight is cardiovascular training. Professionals recommend 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic training a week in order to lose weight. This form of exercise also helps to improve cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure, regulate blood sugar, reduces asthma symptoms, reduces chronic pain, aids sleep and more.

3. What are the consequences of being physically unactive

Being physically inactive brings out negative results. These are mostly opposite to the benefits of being physically active. For example less active people have a greater risk of developing higher blood pressure. Lack of physical exercise can also lead to weaker bones which lowers ability to participate in daily activities for older adults. Inactivity can also lead to certain types of cancer and people who don’t exercise are more likely to gain weight as they are burning fewer calories. These people are also more likely to show signs of depression and anxiety which exercise helps to prevent.

4. How much exercise is recommended for 70-year-old men?

Harvard medical school warn that “individuals age at different rates. There is considerable variation even at advanced age.” However other health professionals have recommended that older adults should exercise for around 30 minutes at moderate intensity, most days. Some suggested exercises include dancing, brisk walking, cycling, or swimming. It is also good to enjoy different activities throughout the week. The minimum time for moderately intense aerobic exercise is 30 minutes per day, but you will get even more benefits if you can exercise for 60 minutes per day. 

This intervention will be during the first 6 weeks of term 2 (23rd April – 7th June). From here I will need to create the intervention and to keep updating my blog posts according to how our intervention is going.