Having a stroke was the wake-up call I needed to change my life
As John Hughes stood outside his house in Potts Point, Sydney, his knees buckled, his face drooped, and he felt as though he was suddenly drunk.
Alarmed and aware something was incredibly wrong he called a taxi to take him to the hospital where he was diagnosed as having a stroke.
It was a turning point that would transform his life and help him to drop 18 kilos. Now John is talking out about his incredible journey in an attempt to get others to get active before it’s too late.
John Hughes before his stroke.
John was the Associate Dean of Education at Sydney University before retiring in 2009 and admits he had a poor diet, never exercised and despite once previously joining a gym – had never used the membership. His weight spiralled to 94kg.
“I ate out a lot and lived off steak and chips or pasta,” says John, 69.
“The most exercise I ever got was when I got out of the taxi and had to walk to the Opera House. Even then, I struggled to do it.”
John had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and always battled with depression which spiralled when he retired and felt unneeded.
“Looking back the stroke was probably the best thing that could have happened to me, but it didn’t feel like that at the time,” he says.
“I was left paralysed on my entire left hand side and it took me three weeks before I could even shuffle my feet back and forth. It was six weeks before I could use cutlery again.”
John left hospital and continued with regular physiotherapy. It was there they suggested he join the Uniting Senior’s gym, at Waverley.
John started exercising after his stroke.
Hesitant, John arranged to meet an exercise physiologist at the gym in October 2016. He hasn’t looked back since.
“They were so caring, so understanding of my situation. I felt like I truly mattered,” he explains.
“They drew up a specific plan for me and we focused a lot on balancing and managing to walk without a stick. It was unlike any gym I’d heard about before.”
John worked on targeted stretching, balancing exercises, riding an exercise bike and upper body work. The weight started falling off and John’s confidence grew.
“I felt like I was part of a community again and it gave me somewhere to go each day. The confidence was amazing and it truly tackled my depression. Along with visits to a diabetes clinic and a change of my diet, I was transforming myself from the outside in.”
Today John weighs 75.5kg and eats his green vegetables regularly. He’s thankful to the team at Uniting who have helped him get his life on track and urges others in similar situations to do the same before it is too late.
“Just give it a go, and make sure you find someone who is specialised in senior’s health. No retired person wants someone in their 20s looking at them strangely when they say they haven’t been active for longer than they’ve been alive.”