Latest news from Loughborough University
| 6 June 2007 | PR 07/77 |
Loughborough University sports science service launch healthy lifestyle initiatives
Loughborough University’s sports science service are to shortly launch a new programme aimed at helping people to lose weight and get active.
While there are many weight-loss programmes on the market, the catch is with the Loughborough programme, is that there is no catch.
“People have bought into a lot of weight loss programmes because they are led to believe there is a magic way of losing weight” said the Sports Science service’s healthy lifestyle co-ordinator Beth Hanson. “The lifestyle service is committed to education and support, helping people to help themselves.
“Truly the best way to go about losing weight is in a controlled way that isn’t too restrictive. It’s about having a nice healthy diet and being active.”
Hanson’s programme, which has been trialled at the University with
15 staff signing up for the three one-hour workshops, involves people
looking at the daily routines, habits and behaviours they have developed
over the years that have contributed to not only weight gain but also
a less active lifestyle.
“You don’t wake up one day overweight – it’s the
accumulation of years of habits and reflects the lifestyle that you are
used to,” added Hanson.
“The nature of office jobs predisposes people to being sedentary, while as you get older you have different responsibilities which may have stopped you from getting involved in regular exercise and eating healthily.
“What our course does is help people look at their typical day and reflect how things have changed over the years and what habits they have picked up before we then ask them to work out how attached they are to those behaviours.
“They evaluate the confidence that they have in their ability to change, and how important it is to them to make the change. If confidence and motivation are low, ways in which they could go about improving this are discussed.
“It is really just all about identifying the little things you could change to get the benefits in the long run, rather than going on a crash diet only to find yourself back at square one by the end of it.
“It’s lifestyle changes as opposed to quick fixes.”
The weight-loss seminars are just part of the services offered by the sports science service, which includes health assessments. The service is also to shortly launch a corporate wellbeing package aimed at businesses helping to improve staff health.
The first series of weight loss workshops will be available from June 11. Cost is £24.75 plus VAT.
Ends
For workshop enquiries please contact:
- Beth Hanson, Lifestyle Advisor on 01509 226757
or lifestyle@lboro.ac.uk
Notes for editors:
Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities,
with an international reputation for excellence in teaching and research,
strong links with industry and unrivalled sporting achievement.
It is a member of the esteemed 1994 Group – a set of internationally
recognised, research-intensive universities – and has a reputation
for the relevance of its work. Its degree programmes are highly regarded
by professional institutions and businesses, and its graduates are consistently
targeted by the UK’s top recruiters.
Loughborough is also the UK’s premier university for sport. It has
perhaps the best integrated sports development environment in the world
and is home to some of the country’s leading coaches, sports scientists
and support staff. It also has the country’s largest concentration
of world-class training facilities across a wide range of sports.
In the 2006 National Student Survey, the University gained a top five
place, with nine out of
Loughborough’s 23 departments topping their subject tables. Loughborough
was also placed 6th in the 2007 Times Good University Guide and was named
winner of the 2006 THES award for the UK’s Best Student Experience.
In recognition of its contribution to the sector, the University has been
awarded five Queen's Anniversary Prizes – an achievement bettered
by no other university.