Christine Atkins – Education and Experience:
I have been registered with Fitness Australia for over 35 years continuously and registered my business, Body and Mind 2000, around 2000. I have remained active in health, wellbeing and safety for that period.
My career commenced as a nurse in training and I became a registered nurse and remain registered today.
I acquired a part time role at a heavy industrial site coaching employees for exercise sessions as an income supplement in the 1980’s and through persistence, reliability, love of fitness, good results, initiatives and innovations grew that role to a full-time engagement.
I became an integral part of the health and safety approach of the worksite and was responsible for proposing and implementing what became recognised as likely the first integrated employee fitness/wellbeing/injury prevention and rehabilitation program within an industrial site in NSW and likely Australia.
Success was largely based upon my expertise gained through a continuous learning regime and my ability to convince management to implement these ideas. I also demonstrated an ability to educate, encourage and enlist employees to participate in their own wellbeing, fitness for work and positive attitude to the services offered.
My programs were recognised by management as cost effective in injury prevention, rehabilitation and reducing absenteeism. The demand for my services increased and I worked closely with the site GP in rehabilitation, returning LTI sufferers to their full-time roles. I also set up fitness assessments for the emergency first response team and set programs to improve their fitness.
2011 saw site closure. I had already branched out with programs into other corporates and had a dedicated customer base of individuals looking to continue fitness and wellbeing activities. This formed a basis to move forward with my business, Body and Mind 2000, continuing to this day.
