Farmers from Glenamaddy and its hinterland celebrated significant health gains at the recent ‘Fit Farmers’ finale held in Glenamaddy Community Centre.

‘Fit Farmers’ is the lifestyle intervention pioneered by Roscommon nurse, Laura Tully, which has been undertaken by 130 farmers since 2019, with outstanding results in terms of weight loss; increased strength; improved cardiovascular fitness; increased physical activity; as well as positive gains in mental and social health.

“People tend to imagine farmers as being active, fit, strong, healthy and social professionals, but the reality is that farmers have a very poor personal health profile,” Laura said.

“Fit Farmers essentially equips farmers with the toolkit they need to look after their own health and well-being.”

Her professional and personal experience of the toll that farming takes on the health and well-being of farmers and their families is supported by a growing evidence base which highlights the fact that Irish farmers are disproportionately affected by illness, injury and disease.

Fit Farmers

The Glenamaddy programme was delivered locally to farmers at the Glenamaddy Community Centre every Tuesday evening from 7-9:00p.m, through a series of expert-led workshops and physical activity workouts over a six-week period.

Laura kept the delivery simple and straightforward and used a reliable evidence base to impart health information in a practical way.

She showed the attending farmers recommended portion and plate sizes and helped them understand their cholesterol and blood pressure, and took them through her ‘Fitsticks for Farmers’ physical activity class.

With all of this, they have been equipped and empowered to make healthy swaps, embrace physical activity and sustain changes and improvements in their own health into the future.

The programme was funded for farmers by Galway Rural Development and the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) which created a ‘Seen but not Herd’ project funded through the Health Service Executive. The project aims to tackle poverty and rural isolation through local engagement and partnerships between individuals, community organisations and public-sector agencies.

Fit Farmers
Participants in the Glenamaddy Fit Farmers at the Cloonfad Scenic Trails tackling their farm-to-5k walks weekly

Thanks to the vision of Galway Rural Development, 17 participants were able to access fully funded places on the programme, which was coordinated by Emily Hughes, SICAP team member.

One female and 16 males, ranging in age from 54-73 and hailing from a wide geographical area along the Galway-Roscommon border, enrolled. They met in Glenamaddy every week for their two-hour session.

Many of the participants met for additional Sunday ‘Walks and Talks’ hosted by Laura which boosted camaraderie, social connection and physical activity levels. There was a high attendance rate of 95% weekly and all participants completed the programme with outstanding results.

Picture of health

Participants underwent a health assessment and fitness test at week one. Follow-up testing at the end of the programme revealed some incredible results and significant health gains, according to Laura.

“All participants reduced their weight, waist measurements and body mass index which are important health indicators,” the nurse said.

“The group achieved a 47.3kg weight loss total, represented by two bags of beef ration on the night for perspective, which is an average loss of 2.8kg (5.5lbs) per person, in line with a healthy, sustainable weight loss goal of 1-2lbs/week,” said Laura at the finale.

Fit Farmers
Fitsticks for Farmers workout held weekly in Glenamaddy Community Hall focuses on fitness, strength and balance

“Fitness levels are up, heart rate, blood sugar and blood pressure readings are also improved and most importantly, participants are reporting better energy levels, boosted mood and improved sleep, which are major players in our mental and physical well-being,” she said.

“The ‘Fitsticks’ programme is a functional fitness workout I’ve designed for farmers which includes an aerobic workout combined with strength, mobility and balance exercises, all done to lively music over the course of an hour each week.

“16 of the participants have already signed up to continue their exercise class weekly for another four weeks which is testament to the level of motivation these farmers have now.

“I’m really looking forward to staying in touch with the group and motivating them to keep moving and staying engaged with their health goals going forward,” she said.