When Mattias Oscarsson changed roles, not only did his job duties change — so did his lifestyle. It was not until OneLab came into the picture that he had a wake-up call and realised he needed to make changes in his life.
As a service technician at Jungheinrich, Mattias’s working days consisted of visiting different customers for repairs and service. His everyday life included natural movement — carrying tool bags and travelling back and forth between locations.
When he changed roles two years ago to become a service manager, he instead sat at a desk all day. All the everyday exercise that had come naturally disappeared, and it became easier to grab something to eat more often. Mattias gained weight and his fitness deteriorated significantly.
Digital health check provided insight
After about a year, a request came through work to complete a digital health screening from OneLab. Mattias’s first thought was that it was not for him. In the end he chose to answer the medically validated questionnaire where he assessed his own health — both physical and mental.
”One of the questions was to fill in my weight, and when I stepped on the scales I was horrified. It was not as if I had not noticed I had gained weight, but right then and there I realised this cannot go on, and I felt very strongly that I now had to take control of my life”, says Mattias.
Even though Mattias gained insight just from stepping on the scales, he also initially felt there was no point in tackling the problem. The feeling was that it would be too hard. But the result from the digital questionnaire he completed gave a clear answer. Values in several health areas showed significant risks of ill health, and Mattias was therefore contacted by Veronica Andersson, a registered nurse at OneLab.
”Being able to talk to a nurse, and not just see your results on a piece of paper, made an enormous difference. I already understood when I answered the questions what kind of result I would get. But by talking to Veronica I got the push I needed to actually make changes in my life”, says Mattias.
”Being able to talk to a nurse, and not just see your results on a piece of paper, made an enormous difference”
Mattias Oscarsson
Service Manager, Jungheinrich
Small changes delivered big results
Since then, Mattias has lost 28 kilos without ”sacrificing anything”, as he puts it. He has cut back on sweets, unhealthy food and alcohol. He has not gone on any diet or cut anything out completely — he still eats what he craves, but in reasonable amounts.
He has also brought more movement back into his everyday life. Instead of sitting and watching his children’s sports training sessions that he drives them to, he takes a walk during that time. He now walks about 7 km four to five days a week, and still manages to see parts of the training sessions.
The lifestyle changes in Mattias’s life have, in addition to weight loss, among other things led to better fitness and significantly less snoring — so much so that he no longer needs a CPAP machine when he sleeps.
”I have received a huge amount of help from Veronica and OneLab, who encouraged me to make small changes that make an enormous difference to how I feel. What was decisive for me was gaining insight into my own health, and only I can decide whether to tackle the problem or not. And I am so glad I did. At the same time I am also glad I can continue living my normal life”, Mattias concludes.
