HEART WALKERS:
Mai FM DJ Big D's family goes for a practice walk at Ambury Park in Mangere. From left: Jonda Mahanga, 11-month-old Jahliyah and Doug Te Moni.
Shane Wenzlick/Manukau Courier
The executive producer and host of Mai FM’s weekend breakfast show is also the voice behind the Now That’s What I Call Music promotions and djs every Friday night at Superstrike Manukau.
He will MC the Heartwalkers event on Valentine’s Day, February 14. It aims to raise money for heart disease research, education, prevention and care.
Doug has been walking two to three kilometres every day with his family. "He’s now got us doing vigorous training sessions," says wife Jonda Mahanga. He also walks up the face of Mangere Mountain instead of the tracks and begins his walk from Mountain Rd. His goal is to complete 5km but he reckons by Saturday he might decide to do 10km.
Exercising is "awesome", he says. "You can feel it – I can feel my blood flowing, my breathing improves and I have a better sleep. Walking’s the way to go. And it’s free."
He’s doing the Ambury Park event as a volunteer because he wants to help raise awareness about heart disease, particularly among Maori and Pacific people, who have the highest rates of heart problems.
"The figures speak for themselves," he says. Don’t just sit there and be a negative statistic – be a positive statistic."
After identifying the factors that contributed to his heart attack as bad diet, lack of exercise, working too hard and stress, he has started changing them. Heart attack survivors like himself have been given another opportunity at life, he says.
"You have a chance to do something about it. I’m doing something about it. There is light at the end of the tunnel," he says. "If you’ve got kids that’s motivation enough to get healthy. If not, do it for yourself man."
He hopes to see plenty of south Aucklanders coming along to the event or at least sponsoring him online at www.heartwalkers.org.nz/BIGD.
Sometimes people can be too shy to exercise because of their size, he says. But when he walks Mangere Mountain he sees people the same size as him and bigger.
"I’m big. I’m doing something about it. Join me."
There will be 5km and 10km marked trails through Ambury Park on the day with walks leaving at 10am, 10.30am and 11am. Entertainment includes Jump Rope for Heart skipping demonstrations for children and live stage acts.
Visit www.heartwalkers.org.nz for more information.
Heart Foundation healthy heart tips:
• Have a healthy heart check. Take the online risk quiz at www.heartfoundation.org.nz to see if you need a check-up from your GP
• Get to know your numbers: Find out your cholesterol level, blood pressure and waist circumference
• Quit smoking: It is the single most important thing you can do to reduce your risk of heart disease
• Eat healthily
• Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day.
© Fairfax New Zealand Limited 2007
February 12, 2009
NEW ZEALAND: Take heart from Big D
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AUCKLAND, New Zealand / Manukau Courier / February 12, 2009
By Hannah Norton
Big D is fighting New Zealand’s number one killer step by step – and he’s doing it for his baby girl.
The Mangere local and Mai FM DJ has had a heart attack and a stroke in the past three years and wants to live to see 11-month-old Jahliyah grow up.
The Heart Foundation says cardiovascular disease kills 16 New Zealanders every day and accounts for 40 percent of all deaths.
So Big D, aka Doug Te Moni, has become a Heart Foundation Heart Walker and has been training to walk 5km across Mangere’s Ambury Park this Saturday. "My daughter’s my motivation. I’m hanging up my hip hop kicks and putting on my walking kicks," he says.
HEART WALKERS:
Mai FM DJ Big D's family goes for a practice walk at Ambury Park in Mangere. From left: Jonda Mahanga, 11-month-old Jahliyah and Doug Te Moni.
Shane Wenzlick/Manukau Courier
The executive producer and host of Mai FM’s weekend breakfast show is also the voice behind the Now That’s What I Call Music promotions and djs every Friday night at Superstrike Manukau.
He will MC the Heartwalkers event on Valentine’s Day, February 14. It aims to raise money for heart disease research, education, prevention and care.
Doug has been walking two to three kilometres every day with his family. "He’s now got us doing vigorous training sessions," says wife Jonda Mahanga. He also walks up the face of Mangere Mountain instead of the tracks and begins his walk from Mountain Rd. His goal is to complete 5km but he reckons by Saturday he might decide to do 10km.
Exercising is "awesome", he says. "You can feel it – I can feel my blood flowing, my breathing improves and I have a better sleep. Walking’s the way to go. And it’s free."
He’s doing the Ambury Park event as a volunteer because he wants to help raise awareness about heart disease, particularly among Maori and Pacific people, who have the highest rates of heart problems.
"The figures speak for themselves," he says. Don’t just sit there and be a negative statistic – be a positive statistic."
After identifying the factors that contributed to his heart attack as bad diet, lack of exercise, working too hard and stress, he has started changing them. Heart attack survivors like himself have been given another opportunity at life, he says.
"You have a chance to do something about it. I’m doing something about it. There is light at the end of the tunnel," he says. "If you’ve got kids that’s motivation enough to get healthy. If not, do it for yourself man."
He hopes to see plenty of south Aucklanders coming along to the event or at least sponsoring him online at www.heartwalkers.org.nz/BIGD.
Sometimes people can be too shy to exercise because of their size, he says. But when he walks Mangere Mountain he sees people the same size as him and bigger.
"I’m big. I’m doing something about it. Join me."
There will be 5km and 10km marked trails through Ambury Park on the day with walks leaving at 10am, 10.30am and 11am. Entertainment includes Jump Rope for Heart skipping demonstrations for children and live stage acts.
Visit www.heartwalkers.org.nz for more information.
Heart Foundation healthy heart tips:
• Have a healthy heart check. Take the online risk quiz at www.heartfoundation.org.nz to see if you need a check-up from your GP
• Get to know your numbers: Find out your cholesterol level, blood pressure and waist circumference
• Quit smoking: It is the single most important thing you can do to reduce your risk of heart disease
• Eat healthily
• Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day.
© Fairfax New Zealand Limited 2007
HEART WALKERS:
Mai FM DJ Big D's family goes for a practice walk at Ambury Park in Mangere. From left: Jonda Mahanga, 11-month-old Jahliyah and Doug Te Moni.
Shane Wenzlick/Manukau Courier
The executive producer and host of Mai FM’s weekend breakfast show is also the voice behind the Now That’s What I Call Music promotions and djs every Friday night at Superstrike Manukau.
He will MC the Heartwalkers event on Valentine’s Day, February 14. It aims to raise money for heart disease research, education, prevention and care.
Doug has been walking two to three kilometres every day with his family. "He’s now got us doing vigorous training sessions," says wife Jonda Mahanga. He also walks up the face of Mangere Mountain instead of the tracks and begins his walk from Mountain Rd. His goal is to complete 5km but he reckons by Saturday he might decide to do 10km.
Exercising is "awesome", he says. "You can feel it – I can feel my blood flowing, my breathing improves and I have a better sleep. Walking’s the way to go. And it’s free."
He’s doing the Ambury Park event as a volunteer because he wants to help raise awareness about heart disease, particularly among Maori and Pacific people, who have the highest rates of heart problems.
"The figures speak for themselves," he says. Don’t just sit there and be a negative statistic – be a positive statistic."
After identifying the factors that contributed to his heart attack as bad diet, lack of exercise, working too hard and stress, he has started changing them. Heart attack survivors like himself have been given another opportunity at life, he says.
"You have a chance to do something about it. I’m doing something about it. There is light at the end of the tunnel," he says. "If you’ve got kids that’s motivation enough to get healthy. If not, do it for yourself man."
He hopes to see plenty of south Aucklanders coming along to the event or at least sponsoring him online at www.heartwalkers.org.nz/BIGD.
Sometimes people can be too shy to exercise because of their size, he says. But when he walks Mangere Mountain he sees people the same size as him and bigger.
"I’m big. I’m doing something about it. Join me."
There will be 5km and 10km marked trails through Ambury Park on the day with walks leaving at 10am, 10.30am and 11am. Entertainment includes Jump Rope for Heart skipping demonstrations for children and live stage acts.
Visit www.heartwalkers.org.nz for more information.
Heart Foundation healthy heart tips:
• Have a healthy heart check. Take the online risk quiz at www.heartfoundation.org.nz to see if you need a check-up from your GP
• Get to know your numbers: Find out your cholesterol level, blood pressure and waist circumference
• Quit smoking: It is the single most important thing you can do to reduce your risk of heart disease
• Eat healthily
• Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day.
© Fairfax New Zealand Limited 2007
