You’re invited to join the most inclusive club you‘ve ever heard of - The 3% Club! How do you become a member? Start using the stairs!
The 3% club is a program championed by Northern Health (NH) Clinical Exercise Physiologist, Darren Scherbain, with support from NH Registered Dietitian (RD), Christine Geier. Darren’s office is located in the Terrace Health Unit, but by the sounds of it, his chair isn’t often occupied. Not because he is skirting his duties, but because when he’s not meeting with new patients, he can often be found inspiring other patients to take action throughout the community. Darren’s approach to relieving his patient’s symptoms—including pain, decreased mobility, and reduced physical activity often associated with metabolic syndrome—is rooted in healing the whole person, both mind and body, through targeted exercise, rehabilitation, and goal-setting.
“In my practice, I am using exercise as a primary intervention in over 36 chronic diseases,” Darren explained. “The approach that I take is I don't look at what's going on with a comorbidity. I don't treat the disease. I want to treat the person. I get to know the person. Once you can garner somebody's trust then we can start the collaborative approach of what are we going to do for your clinical care.”
The name "3% Club" was inspired by a 2018 study that suggested only 3% of able-bodied people who took part in the study used the stairs versus taking the elevator. Resting on the idea that even a small percentage of change can lead to significant improvements in one's life, Darren's vision was to create a community where individuals could find the support and resources they needed to make these small, but impactful, changes.
He continued, “I'm not reinventing the wheel. It’s about, how [do] we give people these prompts and these cues to help them see that these little steps can have a massive impact on cardio and respiratory fitness? One of the markers that we're using here in the change program is VO2 peak (peak oxygen uptake). Research says even as little as nine minutes a day can see a 7% increase in how much oxygen the whole body is able to use and deliver so that we can go through our day-to-day activities.”
Darren and his team believe that by fostering a sense of belonging and providing resources, they could help patients achieve their health goals and improve their overall quality of life. Club initiation starts with taking the stairs but members also get access to a variety of other programs and activities designed to promote healthy living, including fitness classes, nutrition workshops, and mental health support groups. These initiatives are aimed at empowering members to take control of their health and well-being.
What patients receive
Members of the 3% Club receive a wide range of benefits. They are offered access to personalized health plans, regular check-ins, and a variety of workshops and activities - not to mention the cool 3% Club membership card. The club also provides a platform for members to connect with others facing similar challenges, fostering a sense of community and camaraderie. This comprehensive approach ensures that members' physical, mental, and emotional needs are addressed. Members have reported feeling more empowered, supported, and motivated to make positive changes in their lives. Overall, the 3% Club isn't just a health initiative; it’s a community where individuals can find hope, support, and a path to a healthier, happier life.
Change BC
Alongside his duties within Northern Health, Darren is an active member of the Change BC initiative. Change BC uses motivational techniques to foster behavioral change. By celebrating small victories, the program aims to build participants' confidence and encourage them to continue making positive changes including goal setting, positive reinforcement, and regular progress tracking. These techniques help participants to stay motivated and committed to their health goals, making it easier for them to maintain their progress over time.
In this program, participants are referred by their primary care provider and work with Darren and RD, Christine Geier, for a year, starting with weekly sessions for the first three months and then progressing to monthly sessions for the next nine months.
Darren explained, “What we're looking at doing is taking evidence-based research and reversing metabolic syndrome.”
Metabolic Syndrome Canada describes Metabolic Syndrome as a group of conditions that together raise your risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and other serious health problems. Contributing factors include:
- High blood pressure
- Abdominal obesity
- High blood sugar levels
- High blood triglycerides
- and low HDL cholesterol
Darren continues, "It's a year-long proactive approach to health care. The family doctor will do all blood work and labs for us, and then this person gets the opportunity to work with myself and Christine once a week for the first three months, and then once a month for the next nine.”
Success stories
The success stories tied to the 3% Club are nothing short of inspiring. One member, Jane, had been battling chronic anxiety for years. Through the club's support and resources, she’s learned effective coping mechanisms and gradually regained control over her life. Her journey was a testament to the power of community and the importance of addressing mental health.
“What we're also starting to see is that this little step of climbing the stairs creates a domino effect for people being more physically active for setting goals,” Darren stated. “One woman, she just got out of out of the hospital for a procedure, two weeks later, she was really sleep deprived and didn't know if she wanted to stay in the program anymore. She took it upon herself and went ahead and climbed the stairs to see her internal medicine specialist on the 5th floor. She said it took her forever, but she said once she did that, it was that sense of feeling that her body is still healthy, that she can do these things.”
The positive stories continue
Darren shared another patient’s story, “Another member, Tammy, she told us she's lived in Terrace for 28 years and she’s never been up Terrace Mountain to a space called “The Wolves”. Christine and I took her on a hike up the mountain, she was only able to make it halfway up that first try. We discussed that and said we'll work with her over the next month and both of us will take her up one day… we never got that chance. Tammy sent me a picture over the following weekend, she had hiked up to the wolves on her own."
“We now do a weekly dance party as part of the change program,” he said “That’s about seeing patients like Ed. He's in his 70s and he's good for 30 minutes. He'll come in, bust a move for 30 minutes and he's like, ‘OK, my 30 minutes is up. I'm out.’ and it's just like, awesome. That is fantastic.”
Building community
Darren believes the program is, “about building that bigger sense of community, because it’s not a one-size-fits-all program.”
One of the ways Darren and his co-workers find success and create that community is by hosting community events centred around his patients, for example, “the Brandy Challenge”
“One patient of ours, Brandy, one of her goals that she set was to be able to climb Terrace Mountain with their kids,” he explained. “So, we have a challenge coming up with her in August. We're calling it “The Brandy challenge” where we're climbing up, and anybody who wants to join us can.”
He emphasized, “We're just celebrating people’s goals. It might seem like a small victory to some, but to us it's huge. They're huge, huge victories.”
Amazing contributions to community health
Darren's passion for helping others is evident in every aspect of his work and personal life. It’s hard to not be inspired, as he took time to explain to me what it is he’s doing and why.
His co-workers at the health unit, a diverse group of professionals including therapists, dietitians, and fitness trainers all share the same vision. Together, they’ve created a safe and nurturing environment where members feel heard, understood, and supported. This team is doing amazing work!
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