One year into running a health and fitness program for farmers, Jindera personal trainer Allana Hayes is seeing the benefits.
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Ms Hayes has been putting a group through their paces twice a week under the Active Farmers program.
“I’ve been doing it for about 12 months now and it’s a really great initiative,” she said.
“It can be hard for them to get to a gym but it’s also about the social aspect – they talk about their sheep, their crops, the weather – and they’re all going through the same thing.
“One of the participants said to me that they were in a really dark place when they started and that coming to the group training had basically saved them.
“I really enjoy running the program and it’s so rewarding to know their physical and mental health has improved.”
Active Farmers is a not-for-profit organisation running in 28 towns, founded by Ginny Stevens two years ago.
With Ms Stevens’ guidance, Ms Hayes has also run a breakfast and on Monday a workshop will be held at the Wirraminna Environmental Education Centre.
Food coach and The Greengrocers Diet author Judy Davie will attend and speak about healthy lifestyle changes.
Ms Hayes, who runs Taylor Your Body Fitness at Jindera, said it was important not to be enticed by fad diets.
“The biggest takeaway is that you have to get nutrition right for the fitness to work,” she said.
“We want people to be making good lifestyle choices.”
Ms Stevens said the workshop and Active Farmers was about building resilience.
“We are very lucky to have such a fantastic team of personal trainers like Allana who every week do their bit for their community, from a grassroots level,” she said.
“I’m happy that we can contribute in a small way by offering an assortment of community activity during this challenging time of drought.”
The workshop featuring Judy Davie is running from 6pm to 8.30pm at the education centre on Monday.
It costs $20 per person and can be purchased on the night or at www.facebook.com/events/272575020097646/.