After graduating with a first-class honour’s degree in Nutrition and Exercise Sciences, Stacey has made it her mission to help the people of Blackpool live a healthier life. Now a healthy lifestyles coach for Blackpool Council she explains what she gained from her studies.
As a mature student, who’d been out of education for many years, Stacey’s goal when starting her course was to become a personal fitness trainer. She soon realised that her passion was in nutrition and its links to people’s health.
“I left University with the education and thought process of a nutritionist. I learnt so much about public health, nutrition, disease, physical activity and more importantly the science behind it all. It opened opportunities for me and gave me a foundation to build on.
“It pushed me to my limits and taught me first-class organisational skills, time management and self-discipline. Which led to a first-class degree that wouldn’t have been possible without first-class teaching.”
Stacey’s studies have helped her in her work today, particularly the pathology of coronary heart disease and type two diabetes, and how lifestyle choices can have a negative impact on health.
“I am now a healthy lifestyles coach for Blackpool Council,” she explains.
“I work with clients from marginalised areas of Blackpool and its surrounding areas to reduce health inequalities and barriers that prevent them from leading healthier lifestyles. I help educate people on nutrition, health and physical activity. I take my clients anthropometric measurements and blood pressure and support them with weight loss, undernutrition and deficiencies, nutrition-related disease, such as obesity, type two diabetes and coronary heart disease.”
Being at the University also helped Stacey with interview preparation and completing applications.
She says: “The presentations I had to prepare and deliver gave me the experience and confidence to talk to clients and patients and apply myself professionally in my work. I also learnt a great deal about organisation, time management and self-discipline. My degree prepared me in every way possible for a job in my area of interest.”