MLAP Reunion hailed a success
By Mark Stevens
21/9/18
Exeter Chiefs Community coach Aron Struminski said it was a ‘real pleasure’ to welcome back a number of last season’s Move Like A Pro participants for a special six-month reunion session at Sandy Park.
Introduced last season across all 12 Premiership clubs, the 12-week programme was designed by Premiership Rugby’s professional coaches for people who were not particularly active.
Designed for men aged between 30 and 55, MLAP offered both classroom and activity based health interventions, including those related to levels of physical activity, diet changes, social connectedness and mental well-being.
At the Chiefs, 50 participants signed up to be part of the programme and recently Aron welcomed back 22 of them for an hour of fun-based rugby games.
He said: “The session was a real success and it was fantastic to see how much the players’ rugby skills had progressed over the six months from the initial session. In addition, we asked the players to measure their weight and waist circumference. The results, I have to say, were simply astonishing.
“We not only had a combined weight loss of 81kg, but a combined decrease in waist circumference of 116cm from the initial session.
“These results go to show how much the MLAP programme has significantly changed the lifestyle of these players, teaching them how to live a healthier and better life.
“A huge part of why the results were so successful was due to the work that the players put in once the MLAP programme had finished. Many of them continued to exercise and participate in a variation of the game, either through tag or touch rugby.
“They also continued to keep an eye on the food they were eating. The players showed that if you’re serious about wanting to live a healthier life, it must be a decision that you dedicate and commit yourself too.”