With owner Olivia Heather and head coach Geoff Halston at the helm, CrossFit Tumuora has been transforming the Cook Islands community through its emphasis on an active lifestyle and good nutrition since July 2013.
“The Cook Islands is in a dire situation where we’re actually … the second most obese country or population in the world, as well as the most overweight,” Heather says.
“About 90 percent of our population is overweight, and 64 percent of them are obese,” she notes.
Indeed, obesity rates in Pacific islands are among the highest in the world, but things are slowly changing.
“We’re becoming a lot more aware with the war on carbohydrates and the processed sugars. I believe there’s a huge drop in fizzy drinks being drunk,” CrossFit Tumuora member Mario Cafferty says.
“(The) main thing is to sort of rid our people of all the health problems we’ve got through diabetes and non-communicable diseases, and (CrossFit) is a great way to do it,” says member Paul Lyncy.
He continues: “The great thing about this is community. Lots of people getting to know each other who don’t normally see each other—different ages, social groups and different villages—and we’re united under the umbrella of love of CrossFit.”
Video by Michael McCoy.
9min 28sec
Additional reading: “The Battle for Mexico” by Hilary Achauer, published Feb. 16, 2016.
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