Working towards a healthy future with healthyLIFE

Cindy Vranken (47) from Slek has turned her life around. "My knee problems became so severe that I thought: now something has to change." She signed up for the healthyLIFE programme. With success! "I now eat much healthier and exercise four times a week."

A push in the right direction

Her knee issues and her husband’s successful participation in healthyLIFE were the push Cindy needed to sign up for the programme—via her GP. "I’m doing this to become healthier, and yes, to lose some weight," she admits. "My husband started a year ago and has already lost a significant amount of weight. A good example is contagious."

An active lifestyle

HealthyLIFE is a two-year programme where the focus is on the combination of exercise, nutrition, relaxation, stress management, and sleep. The goal is to promote an active lifestyle and a healthy diet. Participants receive support from a lifestyle coach. "In addition, you’ll exercise every week with a fitness coach for the first 14 weeks," Cindy explains.

Getting moving

She says the group lessons are the perfect motivation: "With a group and a good coach, you’re much less likely to cancel. Plus, it’s really fun." Cindy explains that during the fitness sessions, you get to try out various sports and forms of exercise. "That way, you can discover what suits you best. I barely moved before, apart from the occasional walk. Now I notice that exercising is enjoyable. It’s become part of my daily life. In fact, I now go to the gym on my own initiative three times a week."

Enthusiastic participants

Mart Coolen, fitness coach at Menswel, is pleased: "This is exactly what we aim to achieve—making exercise fun again." Today’s session is different from usual, as lifestyle coach Maribert Starmans and alderwoman Inge Minkenberg are also taking part. Alderwoman Minkenberg: "I wanted to see for myself how healthyLIFE works, instead of just reading about it. It’s great to see and hear how enthusiastic all the participants are and how committed they are."

Positive health

The fitness and lifestyle coaches emphasise the importance of participants learning what positive health means. What can you do to stay mentally and physically healthy? What small adjustments can you make in your daily life? And how do you maintain these changes after the programme ends? "Mindset is crucial. Participants really need to want to change," says Maribert. "We give them a push, but ultimately, they have to do it themselves."

Excellent guidance

Cindy says she and her husband feel much fitter since joining healthyLIFE. "Not just because of the increased exercise, but also thanks to the personal guidance and tips from Maribert. For example, I wasn’t eating too much, but I was eating the wrong things. Now that I eat more varied meals and exercise more, I feel much better in my own skin." Eating healthily and cutting out sweets and snacks is going well. "Thanks to the group sessions with Maribert, I hardly have any difficult moments. Now I think: I should have signed up for healthyLIFE sooner. So… are you hesitating? Turn that switch and sign up!"

Want to join?

HealthyLIFE is intended for adults with overweight, diabetes, obesity, or an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Those interested in participating should contact their GP or practice nurse. They will assess whether someone is truly motivated and eligible to take part. If so, they will be referred to healthyLIFE. Participants receive two years of free guidance from a lifestyle coach and take part in 14 weeks of supervised exercise sessions with a fitness coach. The costs are fully covered by the health insurer and the municipality of Echt-Susteren. Want to know more? Visit healthyLIFE.ecsplore.nl.