Harnessing the power of padel to tackle obesity
• 2 minutes read
Padel's influence to tackle the fight against obesity is being road-tested in Bradford, where Strike Padel has linked up with local partners on a men's weight loss programme.
Strike Padel are part of two projects called Brotherhood (targeted solely for men) and APNA (for the city's south-Asian community) run by Bradford City Council in partnership with Primary Care Dietitians.
The council found that these two demographics were not accessing existing services and offers they had made available as part of its tier 2 weight management services. In response, Brotherhood and APNA were launched using padel as an accessible and welcoming setting that supports healthier lifestyles.
The free programme is available to men with a BMI over 23 and runs on a weekly basis. Sessions at Strike Padel include 30 minutes of padel activity led by coach Cezar Gniadek, alongside 15 minutes of yoga and a further 15 minutes of nutrition guidance delivered by practitioner Sampada Maheshwari.
Participants’ progress is monitored from the outset, with dietitians tracking weight, BMI, waist circumference and wider lifestyle and exercise habits on a weekly basis. The sessions also cover mental health and stress, signposting the participants to other local services if needed.
Nusrat Kausar, Clinical Director of Primary Care Dietitians, already knew Strike Padel co-founder Fahad Qureshi as he is a local pharmacist. Being passionate about the health of the city's population in his hometown, Fahad was keen to partner up on the programme.
"As dietitians it's a nice twist to use padel," said Nusrat. "It's obviously trendy at the moment, and it's a bit gentler than other sports, so it's accessible for people of any fitness level.
"It's really inclusive, whether you've played before or not. You also want that team aspect, because this project is also about peer support, mental health and getting out of the house, which men aren't always good at after a certain age."
The project is only a few weeks in, so its full impact is as yet undocumented. However, Nusrat has seen some promising early signs.
"The men have been really engaged so far," she said. "We've had some really good conversations about dietary changes.
"One person has lost 1kg already. Hopefully in six weeks we will see some physical changes."
A regular player at Strike Padel, who isn't part of the Brotherhood programme but certainly embodies its ethos, is Sam Chapman.
On moving to Bradford from Northern Ireland last October, he knew no-one in the city. Since turning up to Strike Padel as a novice, the sport has become the bedrock of not only his social life, but also his physical health.
Sam's weight has reduced dramatically since January as his padel obsession has intensified, alongside eating a healthy diet. Sam – who is sharing his journey on Instagram – said, "It's been a really cool journey.
"Padel is so good for weight loss and becoming more athletic because it's so easy to arrange a match.
"With something like football, you've got to get a pitch and get 10 people together. With padel, you can click on the app and immediately get a game.
"Not only is it the ability to jump on a match, but the amount of calories you can burn if you're playing at a competitive level is amazing.
"I work from home and for the first few weeks after I moved here, I barely left the house. Now, thanks to padel, I have a community of 50-60 people who I interact with all day.
"It's really cool to be able to make friends while you're getting fit. Padel has given me so much; a community, friends and weight loss."
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