The Aspire for Life team comprises members who have strong background in food, nutrition, exercise, psychology and health. We are highly motivated by personal weight loss and maintenance experience to make a positive difference to the lives of people with a weight problem. Supported by food scientists and researchers, we have worked together to bring the Aspire for Life programme to you. Here is the team:

Hi, I’m Tim Lindley, Business Manager for Plant & Food Research’s Lifestyle Foods research programme.

Since the programme began in July 2004, I have been very keen to find the best ways to make sure that the science we are doing can benefit individual consumers directly, as well as the food companies we are working with.

Through the research, we have learned a lot about selecting grain and vegetable plants with slower digesting carbohydrates, making food structures that, like pasta, deliver their energy slowly, and ensuring that as we take the rapid energy components out, foods are even more enjoyable to eat.

I’ve been excited to see the results as the Aspire for Life programme has developed, first from an academic trial in a University, to a pilot study from Plant & Food Research, and now into a programme that can be accessed widely by anyone.  And the most exciting part of the pilot study was seeing the way people on the programme slowly became more and more positive about the benefits they were gaining across all aspects of their lives.

About me. Well, I’m a lifelong foodie. Eating is something we all have to do, so you may as well learn how to enjoy it by getting involved. I also enjoy an active lifestyle - hill walking, biking or getting out in my kayak. I’m now over sixty and find that at my age going to the gym a couple of days a week on my way to work is an essential part of keeping an active life going, both at work and play. The good part is, that if you learn to enjoy the basics such as simple, fresh, healthy food, and energising exercise, then you also can keep enjoying life’s little pleasures, such as a coffee and a chocolate, or a glass of wine, without going downhill.

I sincerely hope you will enjoy Aspire for Life, as it really is about enjoying life more fully.

Dr Tim Lindley
Business Manager
NZ Institute for Plant & Food Research.

Hi, I am Hester Cheong, the Project Manager of Aspire for Life.

This is my story. 

I started my career on quite a different track to the one I am on now. After graduating from the National University of Singapore (NTI) with an Honours degree in engineering, I worked for a short period as a computer engineer, before moving on to Manchester Business School, UK, to do an MBA (Master in Business Administration). I then returned to the IT industry where I worked for many years in marketing. Latterly, my job scope expanded to cover the Asia Pacific region, and that was where I thought I would spend the rest of my career.

But the demand of work through the years took its toll. When my main physical activities were checking in and out of airports, and the highlight of my life was business dining, my weight slowly crept up on me. Without realising it, I was three dress sizes bigger than in my early adult years. I suffered from the signs of premature aging – a lack of energy and stamina. Even walking in a shopping mall became difficult, and I needed to sit down after a short half hour.

One day, a new gym opened in the building next to my office. Out of curiosity, I walked in to find out more. To cut a long story short, I joined it and, together with watching my food intake, I lost weight, began to feel younger again and found I had much more energy. 

This personal experience motivated me to pursue my new interest in exercise and nutrition beyond the gym, which eventually led me to do a Master of Science degree in Exercise and Nutrition Science at the University of Liverpool/Chester, UK where I graduated with a distinction.

Working on the Aspire for Life project is a dream job. It’s helping me to share what I have learnt about weight loss from personal experience and academic training, and putting my knowledge (IT, marketing, exercise and nutrition) to good use for the benefit of others. What’s most important is that Aspire for Life is a healthy weight loss programme built on sound scientific research - I wouldn’t want to promote any pseudo-science.

My advice, if you are overweight, is to do something about it today! Join Aspire for Life and take a big step forward with your life, too.

Hester

Rosa,Dietitian

I have always had a love for food, whether it be eating, cooking, reading or talking about it. It was this interest in food that inspired me to study a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Human Nutrition at the University of Otago. A desire to help others motivated me to complete a Postgraduate Diploma in Dietetics. In my ten years of nutrition counselling experience, I have learnt lifestyle changes must be practical and beneficial if they are to be sustainable.

Finding the right balance of work, play, rest, exercise and good nutrition can be a challenge for us all. Although I have never excelled at any sports, I enjoy being outdoors and love giving new sports a go and having a laugh while participating. More recently I have started growing food, in the way of vegetables and herbs (no sheep or chickens yet) and find this relaxing, and very satisfying when I get to partake of the finished product! I am always keen to try new foods from different cultures. We live in a great time because we now know a lot of the inherent health benefits of traditional diets and how to reap these benefits by incorporating changes in our own diets.

Someone once told me ‘if you can learn a thing, you can unlearn a thing’ a very simple statement which gives hope to us all! We all have to find the right personal balance in nutrition to enable us to live the life we want to live. There is a way to turn unhealthy eating habits into good. Aspire for Life will give you the keys you need to provide your body with the best nutrition to enhance your life and find the right balance. We provide a smart, satisfying approach to a healthier life. I look forward to supporting you on your weight loss journey.

Rosa

Firstly, I have the best job! Not only do I get to be inspired by our Aspire champions, and be intrigued by the science of nutrition, but I get to talk about food....ALL THE TIME!

My training includes a Bachelor of Science, with a Major in Human Nutrition, a Post-graduate Diploma in Dietetics, a Post-graduate Certificate for Dietitians in Sports Nutrition and a Graduate Certificate in Paediatric Nutrition and Dietetics.

On a more personal note I really enjoy cooking, particularly experimenting with new recipes and flavours (probably no surprise here!) and very recently I have discovered I enjoy gardening - and in particular growing vegetables and herbs. I must say that I hope practice makes perfect because I am not a natural - the money and time I have invested are yet to come to fruition! The same could be said about my natural talent for sport actually! But it doesn't stop me doing either and I regularly walk, swim and aqua jog - all activities I really love to do, and that ensure my sanity! And if I feel like relaxing I love to read (usually fiction, although I have been known to grab a cuppa and a recipe book!).

Aspire for Life stands for everything that I believe in with regards to a healthy, sustainable lifestyle - the right sort of food in the right proportions, regular physical activity and best of all - great tasting as well as healthy!

You may be thinking that Aspire is something that you are doing for yourself - which is fantastic - but you are also making really positive steps to influence your family's attitude to a healthier lifestyle - your partner, children, grandchildren, sisters, brothers... Not to mention all your friends who are going to want to know why you are looking so good!!

Aspire for Life provides me not only with a great job, but also the best possible lifestyle I can provide to myself and my family - and I hope to yours too.

Maintaining a healthy weight has been an ongoing battle all my life. I often joke – a 10 lb baby and never looked back, but seriously I have tried many diets and diet clubs with success only being short-lived.

As a health professional of well over 30 years I witness daily the devastating effect obesity has on individuals. Sadly it is not only adults who are now affected by the obesity epidemic.

When I was approached by Aspire for Life to help in the recipe development I was delighted to combine my two great passions in life – great health and great food. As a domestic cook my philosophy is to eat seasonal, simple and nutritionally sound food. I am “big on flavour” – not from fat, sugar and salt but from herbs, spices and spice mixes. I have endeavoured to give you recipes that taste great, look great, are “family friendly” and are easy to prepare. Some ingredients may seem a little foreign to start with but I encourage you to try them as these are the ingredients that give the 'wow' factor to a recipe.

Aspire for Life has become a way of life for me and my family and I hope it will be for you too.

Rose

Hi, I am Lil and I am your activity coach.

As a person who exercised only sporadically in the past, I have experienced so many benefits since I have become active on a regular basis - I sleep better, have more energy and higher self-esteem, I feel fitter and healthier, and the list goes on. From my own experiences, and those of the people I have worked with over the last 5 years, getting and staying more active is about finding the activities that you love and that fit with your other commitments. And all it takes is 30 minutes a day! I look forward to assisting you to reap the benefits of a healthier and more active lifestyle.

My academic and work background is in fitness instructing/personal training, physical activity promotion and behaviour change strategies. I hold a Bachelor of Science, double major in Physiology and Pharmacology; a Graduate Diploma of Psychology; and a Master of Public Health. In the research toward my Master's thesis I examined the perceptions toward goal setting and experiences which promote a sense of achievement among a group of patients who were aiming to increase their activity level for their health. Much of my work experience has involved supporting adults with a range of health concerns, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, depression and other mental health conditions.

In my spare time I enjoy working out at the gym, walking/running, experimental cooking, being a tourist and feeding the ducks.

Lil

I remember having to ask my mom if I could go to bed when I was a little girl.  As soon as dinner was finished I was usually brushing my teeth and hopping into bed because I was so exhausted from my day of ‘play’.  I have always been extremely active, throwing myself down things then, back up again, running, biking, swimming, sports, weights – I could go on and on.  Because of this obsession with movement I always knew that I would pursue a career in the health and fitness industry.

It started a bit prematurely in high school.  When the teacher would get bored or distracted they would leave the class to me to do what I wanted, and from there I was hooked.  I later went on to do a degree in Human Kinetics from the University of British Columbia, Canada, where I also took a minor in Business Management as this was another area I found inspiration and passion in.

And here I am today. I immigrated to New Zealand 5 years ago, and I have continued to throw myself passionately towards anything that lets me offer support, motivation, and excitement to people who want to make positive and healthy changes to their lives and the lives of those that they love.  I feel Aspire for Life fits in perfectly with my philosophy that life should be active, healthy, and full of joyful moments.  I am very excited to be a part of the Aspire team and look forward to walking alongside you on your journey of health and wellbeing.

Erin

"Live Life to the Full!" When I was growing up, these words were written in Latin and inscribed along the top of the fireplace in our family home. I really believe in these words and know that being healthy and active has been a big part of my ability to truly live them.

My parents started taking us camping, bushwalking and sailing from a very early age. We were never "expected" to join in the activities but they were always so fun that my sisters and I never wanted to miss out.
My love of adventures led to competing in multisport for seven years.
As a team we ran, hiked, navigated, biked and kayaked through some of NZ's most stunning scenery. I learnt the value of training with friends to keep motivated and to always have a programme of what I was going to do each day to keep fit.

Life is a journey of contrasts though. I experienced a back injury which saw me lying on my stomach for 4 months, with little ability to be active. I gradually worked through small goals, like walking around the block for 20 minutes, then getting up a small hill. I joined a local gym and learnt to use strength exercises to keep my body strong. I am now fully recovered and appreciate my health and the ability to be active in a whole new way. Currently I am based from home so that I can look after our 19 month old daughter Elsie. My husband Matthew and I are also expecting another baby in November 2010. Like so many others, life has changed ALOT since having a baby and I can really relate to having to put myself second which means it is harder to fit in activity. But it is worth the effort to make sure I do!

I have a Physical Education degree and a Postgraduate Diploma in Recreation and Tourism. I worked for the Department of Conservation for many years encouraging people to be active and to get into the outdoors.
I then started working as the Manager of ActiveLinks, organising 16 week Healthy Lifestyle Programmes. Through personal experience and my work I have gained a strong understanding of some of the barriers that exist for people in achieving their goals. I really appreciate that it is not the extreme stuff that counts - so much as the day to day activities and our routines - that enable us to really Live Life to the Full. I am really excited about being part of the Aspire team to help you realise this too!

Rachel