When 13-year-old Tavita Nielsen-Mamea reached 106 kilograms in weight, even climbing a flight of stairs was too much for him. His habit of watching television while eating unhealthy food had led to obesity, an increasing problem among young New Zealanders. Alarmed, his father, Tony Mamea, enrolled Tavita in a youth fitness programme for 10–13-year-olds at Creative Conditioning gym in Dunedin. Eighteen months later, Tavita had lost 22 centimetres from his waistline and his body fat had fallen from 48% to 29%. Tony, who joined his son at the gym, lost 18 kilograms and was able to stop taking medication for type 2 diabetes. Tavita (right) is pictured with Creative Conditioning instructor Gary Dawkins in 2009.