Dave’s a model of men’s health
Fitness instructor Dave Heemi wouldn’t call himself an angel. His life has had its bad spots and there have been times he is not proud of. These days, Dave Heemi, of the far north’s Te Aupouri, works as a fitness instructor at the City Council’s Centennial Leisure Centre gymnasium and is in training for a new challenge — competing in the New Zealand Ironman triathlon, in Taupo in March.
Fitness instructor Dave Heemi: “At the moment it’s family, training and work. That’s it; my social life’s suffered a bit.”
Dave’s determination to improve his lifestyle and the support he gives others to improve their health through sport and training have attracted the attention of He Waka Tapu, a local provider of health and social services for Maori.
One of its programmes is a special health service for men. Clients work with He Waka Tapu’s registered nurse to develop and work on a personal health plan. It includes information about healthy lifestyles, fitness and nutrition.
“Once you get over 40 as a Maori man, that’s when things can start to slide,” Dave says. “I’m there, over 40, and the idea is to work with our people and show how, with a bit of regular training or sport, you can keep everything together and avoid those problems so many of us get later on.
“A lot of the guys He Waka Tapu’s working with come from pretty rough backgrounds and that’s the same with me, so I know about turning things around and how you can use sport and fitness to move forward. It can really help with things like keeping the peace at home and sorting out family life so that everything’s in balance.&dquo;
Carol Penfold, who leads the health team at He Waka Tapu, says Dave Heemi is proof of many of the things her organisation talks about.
“Dave’s out there doing it, and helping other people get there too,” she says. “It starts with little steps and, if you stick at it, you can make a real difference to yourself and your whanau. We’ve had guys who gave away the smokes, changed their eating habits and started looking after themselves and have got down from 270kg to around 150kg. With support and determination you can get there. We don’t need to end up with diabetes and all these other things that are killing us too early.”
- More information about the City Council’s leisure centres is on the web at www.ccc.govt.nz/LeisureCentres/ For more information about He Waka Tapu and its services, either look up www.hewakatapu.org.nz or call 381 3205
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