A green prescription helped her to come off and stay off anti-depression medication, lose 30kg and enjoy life more, says Dunedin resident Paula Leishman.
The prescription, which is written by a GP or practice nurse, aims to get people more active by helping them to find a range of exercises suitable for them and give ongoing support and advice.
The green prescription did not just give her the motivation she needed to become more active, but also made her much more supportive of her son's physical activities, such as taking him to football games or playing together on the beach, the 41-year-old mother said.
Without the prescription, she doubts she would have kept up with her exercise programme three times a week, but knowing she had somebody checking in with her every week was a big incentive.
"It is a really fun thing. It opens doors to seeing a whole lot of other people actively pursuing physical health. Once it [exercise] is a habit, it feels great - the endorphins are better than having a glass of wine."
Sport Otago green prescription co-ordinator Monique Wright said she had seen some massive changes in people coming through the programme.
People lost weight, increased their self-confidence, lowered their blood pressure or blood sugar levels and generally became a lot more positive, she said.
Every consultation Sport Otago did was different and exercise programmes were tailored to each individual.
Much exercise involved walking or home-based exercises, but people had also joined clubs to get more active, tried Nordic walking, boxing, aqua jogging and tai chi, she said.
Almost 1600 Otago people have benefitted from the programme since 1998.
A Sport and Recreation New Zealand study undertaken this year showed 69% of people in the programme said they noticed improvements, such as feeling fitter or stronger, losing weight, having more energy, being less stressed and sleeping better.
Of those given a green prescription, 64% were doing more physical activity and just over half now exercised for at least 30 minutes five or more times a week.
Diet change was another common benefit, with 66% changing their diet, such as eating healthier food and less takeaways, eating smaller meals and drinking more water.
