Volunteers needed for sports programmes at Inverness College UHI
Do you have a fitness goal? Perhaps you have an underlying medical issue and want to improve your general health and wellbeing? You could be just what sports students at Inverness College UHI are looking for.
Students studying for an HND in Fitness Health and Exercise need members of the public to volunteer as clients to develop a 12-week exercise and nutritional programme for as part of their coursework.
Last year sports lecturer Nicki Diggins worked with student Allan MacPhee (19), who put together a plan for the 53-year-old to help her succeed in her first Half Ironman Challenge – consisting of a 1.9 mile open water swim, 90km bike ride and ½ marathon.
Nicki was no stranger to swimming and cycling, but running was her weakness. Together, they worked out how much time she could commit to training and Allan put together a strength and conditioning plan to complement regular runs in addition to swims and cycles. This involved using free weights in the gym twice a week. He also created an eating plan for Nicki, which involved consuming more calories.
Allan, who has progressed to the third year of BSc (Hons) in Sport and Fitness, said: “My aim was to get Nicki in peak physical condition for the Half Ironman Challenge. She was already doing a lot of cycling and swimming and she was working on her running. But she wasn’t doing any strength or conditioning training.
“People believe if you do weights, you’re going to gain the pounds and it’s just now true. I showed Nicki how to use the weights properly, so she didn’t go up on the scales but became stronger. At the start she struggled with the weights, but as she progressed she grew in confidence and by the end, her performance had improved by 100 per cent. She could lift heavier weights and she was stronger and fitter.
“It was such a rewarding project to be involved in. Completing the HND qualifies you to be a personal trainer, so to be able to work with people on real-life projects is just a fantastic experience for students.”
Nicki’s goal was to finish within the top 10 per cent in her class at the Half Ironman Challenge, which took place in Aberfeldy in August, but she ended up on the podium, finishing third in her class. Just weeks before she also took third place in the Aviemore ‘Durty’ Triathlon – Scotland’s off-road adventure triathlon.
Nicki said: “I couldn’t believe what a difference Allan’s plan made. It was just amazing. I felt so much fitter and could go much faster. I’m now thinking, ‘What else can I do?’ I might go for the full Ironman Challenge – that would be the ultimate challenge. Then I could get the tattoo!”
Now, Nicki is urging people to come forward to support this year’s HND students in their coursework.
“Our clients have to have a goal,” she explained. “That could be quite simple like just getting off the couch to lose some weight. Or it might be running a 5K, 10K or something much bigger. It might also be to improve general health and wellbeing. The students are required to work with clients with underlying health issues for one unit, so volunteers from this group would be very welcome.”
Clients will be matched to students over the coming weeks and the 12-week programme will start at the beginning of next year.
Anyone interested in volunteering as a client should contact Nicki.Diggins.ic@uhi.ac.uk or Jed.McKernie.ic@uhi.ac.uk.
This year saw the first graduates of the HND in Fitness, Health and Exercise, enabling students to progress on to the BSc in Sport and Fitness for the first time.