The municipality of Bikila wants its residents to live a healthier lifestyle

The municipality of Bikila wants its residents to live a healthier lifestyle

Published: Wed October 6, 2021 at 13:45 | Views: 490

Bikila – The municipality of Biquila and the health insurance company Menzies are working together to guide residents towards a healthier lifestyle. Residents can benefit from a program called a Combined Lifestyle Intervention (GLI). This program revolves around a healthier lifestyle for people who are overweight, focusing on new lifestyle awareness, exercise and long-term perseverance.

Two years of extensive advice and guidance from a lifestyle coach
Alderman Bé Schollema: “With our partners, we aim for healthier years at Pekela! This includes a healthy weight. We are using a Shared Lifestyle Intervention to help residents with this. For two years, this program provides participants with extensive advice and guidance from a lifestyle coach on healthy living and more exercise. “For this project, the municipality of Pekela, De Badde and Menzis are working alongside lifestyle coaches from Fyzigo, PrengerHoekman and Previtas.

Being overweight can cause disease
In Bikila municipality, approximately 63 percent of the population is overweight. After smoking, overweight and obesity are the main causes of diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the Netherlands. Almost half of the Dutch population aged 20 or over is overweight. The GLI program helps overweight residents live healthier lives and exercise more.

to share
Residents who are overweight in Pekela and wish to work towards a healthier lifestyle are referred by their GP or medical professional to a Pekela lifestyle coach to participate in the GLI program. The GLI program lasts for two years and is supervised by a lifestyle coach and (depending on the program) a physical therapist and a dietitian.

Special exercise program for GLI participants with municipal policy
The municipality of Bikila, in cooperation with the welfare organization De Badde, organizes a special exercise program for GLI participants with municipal policy. This program consists of group fitness on Monday mornings under the guidance of a neighborhood sports coach and also weekly participation in a walking group of your choice under the flag of Pekela Actief! It is especially important to restore pleasure in movement and build a basic state. The neighborhood sports coach and the participants look at the individual desires and possibilities of exercise at Pekela.

Shifting attention from illness and care to health and lifestyle
“At Menzis, we want to shift the focus from illness and care to health and lifestyle,” explains Susan Ostvogels, Zorg Noord Regional Director. This means more attention to a healthy lifestyle and more attention to prevention. Traditionally, as a health insurer, we are used to solving problems in the healthcare chain, but we want to move to the front: paying more attention to staying healthy, getting healthier and sometimes reversing disease. The focus on a ‘common lifestyle intervention’ aligns with this development.”

more information
More information can be found at: www.menzis.nl. Using the search term GLI or ask a lifestyle coach.

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