FEATURE MEANINGFUL OCCUPATION
Reclaiming control through a new occupation
Kirstie Hughes
In May this year , occupational therapist Kirstie Hughes competed in an amateur powerlifting competition , taking first place in her weight category and gaining a place at the World Powerlifting Congress European Championships . Here , she shares how her ill health led her to discover a new occupation and step outside her comfort zone
I
had my second major abdominal surgery in December 2018 , following months of severe symptoms that left me fatigued and made even walking painful . Less than 24 hours after my operation I had gotten myself out of bed , showered and was mobilising around the hospital .
Every time a well-meaning nurse tried to usher me back to bed , I would wander off again , repeating phrases like : ‘ I ’ m an occupational therapist , I ’ ve got this ’ and ‘ Have legs will use them ’.
As occupational therapists we frequently support others through injury , accident and times of change , but in my experience we are not very good at taking our own advice , or maybe that ’ s just me ?
As well as the initial recovery time , the surgery had caused significant hormone and reproductive changes , known as surgical induced menopause , which at 33 was not ideal . While it was a huge relief to have the immediate issues dealt with , I knew it wasn ’ t over and that I needed to now consider the impact to my longer-term health .
With this in mind , I joined my local Nuffield Health Gym and started taking Pilates classes to improve my core strength ; I did some light cardio , to help reduce the weight I had gained from when moving was too painful , and increased my protein intake to support the healing process .
As part of my membership , I had a ‘ Health MOT ’, which reviews multiple aspects of your health and wellbeing to identify where positive changes can be made and devises a gym plan to support you to reach your goals .
I met with a few personal trainers hoping to get some further guidance but didn ’ t feel they were a good fit until I was introduced to Naomi Sheppard .
After only 30 minutes with Naomi , I knew she was the one to help me get to where I wanted to go : she listened , discussed adaptions and progressions , and considered my individual circumstances – in fact , if she wasn ’ t a personal trainer , she would make a great occupational therapist .
Thinking back , I probably wasn ’ t sure where I wanted to end up and I certainly would not have imagined it would be in a powerlifting competition . But I trusted Naomi to help me on my recovery journey .
What I did not know then was that Naomi was an accomplished powerlifter , holding a number of world records .
She is incredibly humble about her achievements , as well as the barriers she has faced during her lifting career , and her own health difficulties growing up . Never one to project her own preferences onto her clients , she kept this under wraps , but shared her wealth of knowledge with
32 OTnews November 2021
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