When Rob Schwarten and myself set out to head this region into the healthiest in Queensland, it was to promote a healthy lifestyle - increasing exercise, watching our diet and generally meeting the aims of Towards Q2.

Toward Q2 had a health proposal to make Queensland the healthiest State in Australia by 2020. If you read the “Sunday Mail”, you will note from yesterday’s edition that the worst lifestyle disease is Type 2 Diabetes and that in Mount Morgan 7.2% of the population are sufferers and in Rockhampton 5% of the population, 3,000 sufferers have this disease. The major cause of type 2 Diabetes is obesity and poor diet and it is preventable.

I called for 5,000 residents to sign up to Kickstart and to promote a Healthy lifestyle, not just a weight loss contest. Whilst weight loss is commendable, it is impossible to keep weight off without a long term change in our lifestyle and quickly becomes a local version of “The Biggest Loser”.

I have lost 2 kg up to today but I am completely changing focus. I am committing to change my eating and drinking patterns and to increase my exercise to a minimum of 30 minutes of walking or cycling EVERY day (part of the Take30.com.au program launched in October by the Department of Recreation and Sport). When I am in Brisbane, I will use stairs instead of the lift. I note that Rob Schwarten is also coupling that with his bike riding. For those of you in Rockhampton, the Heart Foundation organises walking groups. Please consider becoming part of that program.

If we can put this program together, with thousands being involved as a community program, we can then lodge our entry for the Healthy Queenslanders Award.

For all those of you involved with your children’s school, why not work with the P&C or P&F to put in place a Healthy Queenslanders plan for your school? There is also $500,000 up for grabs and $100,000 for workplaces. The money can be spent on any program which supports the Health program and furthers the aim of Toward Q2.

Would every one of you get two or three friends to sign up to Kickstart and to indicate what part of the program best suits them to bring about a healthy future.

See you next week.
Paul

Late last year, Member for Rockhampton Robert Schwarten and myself floated a proposal to make Rockhampton the healthiest community in Queensland.

Mayor of Rockhampton Regional Council Brad Carter supported our proposal and indicated his keenness to participate. From this was born KickStart CQ.

Robert and I, along with Brad, met with CQ University community health experts like Kerry Mummery, mastermind of the State Government-funded 10,000 Steps Program, to discuss plans to take on the rest of the State, as part of the $1 million Queensland Government Q2 challenge to create healthy communities.

CQU is right behind our proposal.

I have taken over the lead role for the State Government and have spoken to Mr 2020 Petros Khalesirad who is also keen to promote the Q2 initiative which aims to reduce
obesity by one-third by 2020.

I know it won’t be easy, but I am committed to reaching my target of:-

• losing 20 kgs over a sensible time period;
• ensuring my 30 minutes of regular exercise per day; &
• changing my eating and drinking habits to reduce my intake of food and liquids (particularly alcohol).

I encourage the community to join me to improve our health and wellbeing. I’m game if you are.

Paul Hoolihan