Personal trainer Claire Harrison says the typical male farmer is hard to get involved with her Active Farmers fitness group, but admits she is making inroads with primary producers in her community of Bridgewater.
The mother of three is one of four PTs across Victoria running the fitness program by breaking down the barriers and bringing her community together through a jaunt of Pilates, cardio of some times even boxing.
The program was formed in 2015 in NSW in an attempt to break the stigma around mental health, and new research shows 90 per cent of participants have increased their fitness regime since joining the group.
"The typical male farmers are very hard to get involved and their involvement fluctuates depending on the season," Ms Harrison, whose group has about 40 members, said.
"The blokes service all their machinery regularly so you need to service your body regularly too.
"If you want to jump on and off the header all the time, then you need to keep fit and stay active and these classes really help."
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Ms Harrison, a born and bred Bridgewater local, started personal training five years ago when her youngest son, Van, now 5, was born when doctors believed he might have had cystic fibrosis.
"It was an outlet to start some classes and take me out of the house and get my mind off things," she said.
"The physical outcomes are quite important but mental health is equally important and a real driving factor of the program and the classes range week-to-week so we try to keep it interesting."
Thankfully, Ms Harrison's son received the "all clear" after a stressful 10 months, but said her experience of hardship was not uncommon in rural communities, and joining an Active Farmers program could help in a number of ways.
"We've got bankers, teachers, farmers, farmers' wives and the local plumber so it's really made up of a cross-section of the community," she said.
The Active Farmers 2021 Evaluation by Regional Australia Institute found of the 158 people surveyed, nine in 10 said participating in regular exercise improved their general mood.
Other groups are also based at Pigeon Ponds, Wando Vale and Warracknabeal.
Active Farmers chief executive Ginny Stevens founded the not-for-profit organisation and said she was keen to see more groups established.
"(The program) was born through a determination to offer better health outcomes for those of us in the bush," she said.
"We're now even more determined to keep growing ... our service to support more rural communities."
Bryce Eishold
Bryce is a senior journalist with Australian Community Media's Stock & Land where he reports on all aspects of agriculture. Bryce is also the president of the Rural Press Club of Victoria. Email Bryce at bryce.eishold@stockandland.com.au.
Bryce is a senior journalist with Australian Community Media's Stock & Land where he reports on all aspects of agriculture. Bryce is also the president of the Rural Press Club of Victoria. Email Bryce at bryce.eishold@stockandland.com.au.
