What’s a challenge you overcame?

Nen | Ōpōtiki

With the support of her hauora group, Nen has become sugar free and unlocked a whole new level of health and happiness.

“I would relate it to, the same as an alcoholic or a smoker. So I see, everyday in my mahi, people fighting addictions and I can relate to them.

I’ve actually just recently become sugar-free. That was a huge challenge because I was actually addicted to sugar. And for me, it was killing me. I’ve got really bad arthritis, and I just found that it was starting to take over my life. I noticed that if I’d have a bad sugar day, they would really ache. So it was really a no-brainer. I just wanted to feel healthy, be able to do my hockey again, do my sport again, and live longer for my mokopuna.

Sugar addiction is a hidden thing. There’s no groups to go to, there’s no support really around that. And when you think of all the media and the stuff that’s out there, it’s all about getting people addicted to sugar, not getting them off.

I’ve lost ten kgs since starting a month ago, which is huge. For me, it wasn’t about the weight loss, but that’s just an extra bonus. I was able to find a beautiful hauora group that’s helped me with that journey. We have things happen in our lives everyday. Life happens. But when you’ve got a whole group, a whole village behind you, you can just deal with any challenge that comes up.

You’re not alone. You’re not walking this hīkoi on your own.”