Leaps and bounds for lifestyle programme

People across Westminster have improved their lifestyles and reduced their risk of developing heart disease, thanks to an innovative 12-week programme called MyAction.

This year’s results have shown that since the programme’s launch in July 2009, over 1,284 people have been referred to the programme to help them lose weight, change their diet, quit smoking and take up exercise.

The programme is delivered by Imperial College Healthcare and funded by NHS Westminster. It is open to Westminster residents who have a cardiovascular condition or a one-in-five chance of developing one. Patients are referred from their GP or consultant. They then have a one-to-one assessment and receive health advice from a team of professionals, including a nurse, dietician and a physical activity specialist, supported by a consultant cardiologist and clinical psychologist.

The team looks at the patient’s lifestyle in terms of diet, physical activity and risk factors, such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and develops an individual programme for the patient. This includes supervised exercise classes, workshops on healthy eating, diabetes and smoking cessation in 12 weekly sessions of approximately 90 minutes.

Participants can bring along their partner, friend or family member to complete the programme with them, and attend one of three MyAction hubs in Queen’s Park, Victoria and St John’s Wood.

Results from the programme have show that 60 per cent of participants now take part in regular physical activity, 50 per cent now achieve their target of eating five fruit and vegetables a day, and eight out of ten patients have reduced their blood pressure and blood lipid levels.

Case study
Mahomed Mukadam, ‘Mo’, is a retired GP from Sussex Gardens, Westminster. He was referred to the MyAction programme a year ago following a heart attack which was treated with a coronary stent.

With a strong family history of heart disease, at 62, Mo was being treated with medication for diabetes, high cholesterol and blood pressure.

“When I started MyAction, my three main aims were to lose weight, reduce my waist line, and sleep better,” he said.

For the next 12 weeks Mo attended the MyAction programme in the St. John’s Wood hub where he learnt how to change to a healthier lifestyle. One of Mo’s first challenges was to change his diet.

“I used to gorge on all the wrong types of food,” he said. “I loved chocolate, fizzy drinks and ice-cream.“

“At MyAction, they taught me how to read food labels – what to look out for and how to avoid salt and sugar. They helped me to understand portion sizes too by showing pictures of what, say, 30g of meat or cereal should look like.”

Mo says he now plans his meals in an “educated fashion” and makes sure he gets at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. He has also taken up regularly exercise following his weekly exercise sessions with MyAction and the advice he received from the physical activity specialist.

“What I’ve learnt is that you don’t need gym equipment to take exercise; you can be in the most remote part of the country and still do it, as you long as it’s 30 minutes, five times a week.

And Mo’s efforts have certainly paid off. He successfully lost eight kilos in three months – exceeding his target.

“I could do with a new wardrobe. I’ve lost three inches off my waist!”

The positive changes Mo made in his lifestyle meant that his blood pressure and cholesterol also improved during the programme.

Mo’s wife Rukiya has also lost weight by changing her eating habits. A typical meal at Mo’s house now includes fish with olive oil, steamed vegetables and rice. The couple enjoy walking together wherever they can.

“I’ve lost weight, I feel stronger, healthier and more energetic,” he said. “I am eating really well but I don’t feel hungry and I’m not craving chocolate and sweets like before.

“For anyone who has a problem with their ticker, MyAction is very useful! It’s a fantastically devised programme. It’s benefitted hundreds of people and I’m sure it’ll benefit many more. And the staff are a wonderful bunch – helpful, friendly, nothing is too much to ask. I’d suggest to anyone considering the programme to just go for it!”

Case study
A Westminster resident has traded in cinnamon swirls for carrot sticks to complete a healthy lifestyles programme, which he credits as completely turning his life around.

Mr Shabbir Hayat, 51, was told by his doctor that he had worryingly high cholesterol, needed to take blood pressure tablets and was on a collision course to end with a serious heart problem.

“I kept going to the doctor because I didn’t feel well,” he said. “He’d talk to me about my eating pattern and tell me to exercise but I never listened. It was only when I joined the MyAction programme that I really started to change my lifestyle!  Their method of teaching and talking encouraged me to slow down!”

Shabbir quickly realised that out of the 2,500 calories allotted to a man to eat on a daily basis, he could be eating up to 5,000 for breakfast.

“I’d typically have a greasy breakfast of fried food with lots of butter, followed by Danish pastries and curries for dinner. I was eating at least 10,500 calories a day!”

Thanks to support from the MyAction team and a personalised diet plan, Shabbir, started to make steady changes.

“I realised I was suffocating myself with the food I was eating. I used to feel lethargic and reach for the comfort food - the cappuccinos and the fairy cakes! Now I think about what I eat and count my calories, and if I indulge it’s a one off treat.”

These days, Shabbir is more likely to wake up to a bowl of porridge, eat tuna salads, boiled chicken or soup for lunch, and drink lots and lots of water.

“After work, I reach for some carrot sticks rather than a Mars bar: they keep my stomach happy!”

And Shabbir has seen fabulous results. By the end of the 16-week MyAction programme, he had lost 6kg and 5cm from his waist. His cholesterol had come down from level 7.2 to 3.8 and his blood pressure had stabilised. One year on and Shabbir has had another assessment with the MyAction team, which shows that he is sticking to his healthy lifestyle changes, including using a pedometer.

“The MyAction team taught me that the average person should do at least 10,000 steps a day. I used to do about 1,000 – to the fridge! But now I get out outside and enjoy the greenery and fresh air. The other day I went on an eight mile walk and did 21,000 steps!”

Shabbir also learnt about how the heart works and how arteries can become blocked, and has shared his knowledge with his wife and three children.

“I now know that your heart is your crown jewels,” he said, “and I firmly believe that anyone suffering from ill health can benefit from MyAction: doctors and tablets are for the short-term - but for the long-term, you need to change your lifestyle”

“My life has changed 110 per cent from doing the programme. I am fitter, healthier and I genuinely cherish my body.”