“Thank you so much for all your help and guidance. You have been a godsend and have helped me greatly.”
Ian, 50, Lymphoedema
Here are Ian’s thoughts on KiActiv® Health
“Thank you so much for all your help and guidance these past six months. You have been a godsend and have helped me greatly.”
Ian’s Story
Ian contacted KiActiv® in January 2021 after referral from the Lymphoedema Team at St. George’s Hospital. In addition to Lymphoedema in his arms, he had also been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. At the beginning of the 6-month programme, his aim was to go for a walk at least once a day, and as he was working from home, he wanted to do a ‘fake commute’ to increase his physical activity levels.
During the 6-month programme, he overcame a number of barriers, including a high workload and poor weather, and managed to develop and maintain a consistent walking routine. This included walking with his wife to and from the train station each day. By the end of his initial programme, Ian was enjoying walking, and started to increase the distance and pace at which he was walking. In addition to this, Ian became increasingly aware of everyday movement and focused on getting up more frequently during the day. By engaging with his personalised online dashboard, he was able to identify where these small changes to his daily habits made a difference to his activity levels:
“It has definitely made me motivated. It’s interesting, and very helpful, to look back on the movement undertaken each day & week. It has also made me aware & more conscious of times when I am inactive.”
Ian achieved considerable increases across 4 dimensions of physical activity; his average daily non-sedentary time increased by 21.7% and his average daily moderate activity increased by 40.0% from baseline. These increases reflect his choices to add structured, planned walks into his routine, as well as his increased awareness of the impact of everyday activities and understanding that every move matters. He spent over 88% of the programme above his baseline levels of physical activity across all dimensions, which highlights the sustainability of the changes he chose to make to his lifestyle to benefit his health.
As well as making improvements to his physical activity, Ian also noticed improvements in his Lymphoedema symptoms. He noted that if he sits too long, his arms feel heavy, but that the heaviness goes away after he moves. By his 3rd session, he had lost 6.9kg by changing his diet and increasing his physical activity, and by the end of the 6-months, he had lost a total of 11.2kg, which is equivalent to 9.2% of his starting body weight. His limb volume was also reduced by 11.0% in his left arm and 12.4% in his right arm.
“I’ve also changed my diet & so the program along with the change in diet has made me more focused in maintaining a healthier lifestyle.”
The results of the LymQoL questionnaire showed improvements across all 5 domains measured (Function, Appearance, Symptoms, Emotion and Quality of Life) from the beginning to the end of the 6-months, demonstrating how KiActiv® Health has benefitted him.
