The pandemic caused many of us to fall into a pit of anxiety and stress and for Jonathan Sutcliffe this was no different. To combat these overriding emotions, he turned to increase his workload and left little time to look after himself or spend time with his children.
As he noticed this trend, he came across Bradford City Community Foundation’s FIT BANTAMS on Facebook but remained apprehensive for a while even after attending the programme, but he credits the staff’s approach to ensure all participants are welcomed.
FIT BANTAMS is a part of the EFL Trust FIT FANS programme, which is funded by Sport England through the National Lottery and run at around 40 EFL Clubs across the country.
With the programmes approach to education and adaptation through small, manageable changes Jonathan first notably saw his step count increase from just an average of 500 per day to 20,000 per day.
“I am now doing regular 3-mile walks, attending the weekly FIT BANTAMS football session every week and playing football with the kids a lot more.”
But most importantly, through exercise and playing sport with his children, his stress levels decreased so not only has his life benefited from these changes, but his kids now have a more active, happier dad.
“I now play football with my kids on a regular basis and my family, friends and colleagues have all mentioned how much more relaxed I am.”
Although Jonathan’s successes extended to both his working and personal life, he has also seen drastic developments in his weight. His weight has dropped by a stone, and it has continued in this steady trajectory as Jonathan is at his lowest weight in over a decade.
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