The Journey of Bec Niejalke: From Back Roads to Active Farmers

From Back Roads
to Active Farmers

Like Hutcheon & Pearce, Active Farmers is committed to keeping rural communities going. While we focus on machinery and technology, Active Farmers is all about improving wellbeing through fitness and building strong community connections. Here we catch up with one of Active Farmers’ newest trainers, Bec Niejalke.

When the South Australian town of Pinnaroo was featured on the ABC’s Back Roads, personal trainer (PT) Bec Niejalke had no idea it would lead to a new role.

Bec moved to Pinnaroo in 2004 and fell in love with the place and a local third generation farmer, Todd. They couple now has three children and run a cropping business on their 2100-hectare property.

Despite completing a Certificate III in Fitness at high school, Bec first focused her professional life as a registered nurse. It was while on maternity leave that she came back to the idea of personal training.

“I still do casual nursing shifts at the Lameroo Hospital but as a family, we found the consistency of fitness classes easier to balance with our family life than a rotating roster of nursing.” As a passionate advocate for fitness and wellbeing in her community, Bec was interviewed for the Back Roads program, and a job offer from a like-minded organisation, Active Farmers, was a pleasant surprise.

“I was on the Back Roads program talking about our Man Pilates class – otherwise known as Stretch and Strength – and one of the team from Active Farmers spotted me and gave me a call. At first, I honestly thought it was too good to be true, so I looked up their website and called a couple Active Farmers PTs to ask if it was legit!

“I joined the Active Farmers team a few months ago. With the aim to improve the wellbeing of rural communities through fitness, our goals and intentions really align. Fitness classes have so many more benefits than just getting your heart rate up. It’s about social connections, improved mental health, decreasing risk of lifestyle related diseases and the burden on our pressured health care services. By joining, I am supported to help my rural community.” As a nurse, Bec has seen many people present with mental health challenges. As a personal trainer, she’s seen the benefits group fitness can bring to people from all walks of life and mental health circumstances.

“In my nursing role, I’ve seen patients come in when they hit a mental health crisis point. They’ll have a reset in hospital but are discharged facing all the same issues they had beforehand. They may be okay for a while, but can soon hit crisis point again. It can be a vicious cycle.

“Being a PT, I get to work with a broad demographic: teens, blokes over 50, postnatal mums. I have people who come in frazzled, perhaps not having the best day and after their workout, they feel positive, like they can go and conquer the day. For some of the blokes in the Stretch and Strength program, it’s their socialisation for the week, their time to debrief about farming challenges.

“If it’s been ‘one of those days’, they come along in their work gear straight off the farm. They do the class. They get their banter on. It can definitely help their headspace, and they feel better physically the next day.”

With Active Farmers, Bec has her sights set on changing one pattern she often sees with farmers.

“Many farmers have a role that is isolating and high in pressure. Farmers are impacted by so much that is out of their control. This is stressful, and the high demands of the work can negatively affect their physical and mental health. Farmers are great at investing in assets that improve their business, such as machinery and land. I would love to see farmers seeing the time they invest in their health and fitness as an asset to their business, too. Having good mental and physical health and strong social connections can really lessen the impacts of stress and isolation and benefit their business operations.”

If she could wave a magic wand, Bec would not only change farmers’ attitudes towards investing in their health and wellbeing, she’d put a gym or Active Farmers presence in every country town.

“Pinnaroo is lucky to have a community owned and operated gym. Our gym is not just about fitness. It’s providing health and wellbeing to the community. It’s a healthy place to socialise, make friends and access rehabilitation. What I love about Active Farmers is that rural PTs are supported to make a difference to areas where health services are lacking or under pressure. It makes an impact in preventative health. As an Active Farmer trainer, I get to make people healthier and hopefully create a happier community.

“Active Farmers has given me support, stability, financial security, and a network of other rural PTs I can bounce ideas off and get inspiration from. It’s also made it that bit easier for me to do a job I really enjoy. It’s the energy and fun you get from people willing to turn up, have a laugh and give it a go. Being able to change someone’s day for the good. I’m so fortunate to do what I love.”

If you’re passionate about your farming community’s health and wellbeing and want to start up a regular fitness program in your town, contact Active Farmers to find out how. Visit: www.activefarmers.com.au/startup