MECC: My journey back to a healthier lifestyle

Making Every Contact Count

By Iain Armstrong, associate practitioner and trainee nurse

Associate practitioner and trainee nurse Iain Armstrong decided to use the support of those around him and to take his health into his own hands. After a culmination of life events led to bad eating habits and had an effect on his overall lifestyle and happiness.

Iain took time during one November morning study day, to share his ‘Making Every Contact Count’ journey back to a healthier lifestyle:

IAIN: My beautiful daughter Isla was born by planned caesarean in April 2021. This alone would be a significantly memorable time in anyone’s life. However, one week before, I had also begun my registered nurse degree apprenticeship. I was a new dad having to adapt to fatherhood, was back at University full time and was also still working as an associate practitioner during the week in EAU at North Tees. There were a lot of plates to juggle and although exciting, it was also a stressful time.

The first year it wasn’t as bad. My wife was on maternity leave so it was easier to balance work and life with a new born. But when she went back to her nurse practitioner position full time at a neighbouring trust; bad habits started to creep in.

My weight increased – dramatically. It started with us not cooking meals anymore, to eating what I’d grabbed at petrol stations or getting home and getting a takeaway. You don’t always want to be relying on your family all the time – you feel guilty. But then you try to take shortcuts with things like cooking for ourselves, once Isla had eaten and was put to bed. Then assignments get pushed aside when you’re tired. Tensions grow and bad habits form.

I’d always originally been quite active. Loved cycling and would often go out on my bike with my friends – but that had all stopped with trying to balance work, study and a new born. The lack of time for activities you love gets you down – and then you start to notice that your clothes don’t fit quite like they did before, your uniform doesn’t sit comfortably.

Then I had a very specific moment back around June – my wife’s step-mum was retiring and there was a surprise party. I remember digging through my wardrobe trying to find something I felt comfortable in. I realised I hadn’t felt like ‘myself’ for some time. After that night I decided I needed to make the change, for myself.

My wife’s stepdad had joined the gym and he invited me along to start swimming. It started there. From one little decision to swim, I then decided to add a gym routine – things gradually escalated and built from that one little encouraging push.

My brother-in-law is also bodybuilding at the moment and has had a dramatic change to his physical fitness, lifestyle and weight. He’s also been a great source of support – offering his advice and helping me to create a weight plan to keep me accountable.

I would often look at the change in my brother-in-law and think – ‘If he can do it then so can I’. I think this has been the mentality that really has helped me through this journey back to a healthier lifestyle.

Setting challenges for myself also keeps me motivated. I did a week of 5k runs and a 10k in Dalton Park in December - with the Great North Run planned for next year. I had also signed up to cycle the coast-to-coast (152 miles in a day) prior to Isla being born. We’re now aiming to do it next summer.

It’s all about keeping myself accountable and I’ve found I have more energy to go out and enjoy more time with my daughter. To enjoy the little things while she’s still growing.

I’m also close to finishing my course and becoming a registered nurse. I should graduate sometime in summer next year and I look forward to this next stage in my 16 year NHS career.

And the weightloss? That’s just been a positive byproduct of wanting to get back into healthy lifestyle habits and back into hobbies I love. I’ve lost the two stone that I’d put on at the start of everything.

It feels like the light is finally at the end of the tunnel and that I’ve worked to turn things back around for the better – but the support of friends, family and colleagues along the way has really been amazing.

“By changing my lifestyle for the better, I’ve been able to bring my best self to work. Which means I can provide the best patient care and be the best nurse for the future.

What is Make Every Contact Count (MECC)?

Making Every Contact Count (MECC) is a simple and effective health promotion intervention. All about enabling the delivery of healthy lifestyle information, actively promoting and raising awareness and improving conversations with people, patients and staff to enable them to seek out help and support their own health and wellbeing.

Senior clinical professional physiotherapist Kath Tarn, who is leading on introducing MECC in the organisation said: “Iain began his own inspirational MECC journey by sharing his before and after pictures on Twitter and Strava with friends and followers.

“I was one of those followers. I thought his story was a powerful one that could actively encourage and inspire others who may be going through a similar situation. “Life can be busy, hectic and difficult and sometimes we can forget to look after our physical and mental wellbeing.

“Each and every one of us can choose to take a broader look at how we can support our own health, whether through small lifestyle changes, or deciding to stop smoking or reduce alcohol. It’s also about knowing you can reach out and ask for support to help you get there.

“It can all start with a simple conversation or in Iain’s case, that initial invite from his wife’s stepdad to go swimming and the weight planning advice from his brother-in-law.”

Find out more about how you can MECC at: www.meccgateway.co.uk/nenc