Physical Activity
Regular physical activity and healthy food can make a significant
difference to the ongoing health and wellbeing of children
and adults in Australia. More than half of the Australian
population are overweight or obese – an epidemic common
at all ages, in all parts of Australia and throughout all
population groups.
Insufficient levels of physical activity are clearly linked
to an increased risk of cardiovascular (heart) disease, Type
II diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure and obesity in adults.
Only smoking is a higher risk factor for developing these
serious conditions.
In children there are signs that physical inactivity and
obesity are leading to the development of Type II diabetes
at a very young age, with the prospect that these children
will suffer permanent disabilities caused by diabetes in their
midlife. Type II diabetes is not curable and can lead to blindness,
kidney failure, circulatory problems leading to foot ulceration
and gangrene and an increased risk of infections, coronary
heart disease and stroke.
The good news is that engaging in more physical activity
is easy, costs nothing and can be done is small bursts through
the day rather than one long session. Just by being physically
active for 30 minutes a day (even at 10 minutes at a time)
for most days of the week, you can lower your risk of serious
disease. Physical activity includes walking, doing the housework,
washing the car, mowing the grass, playing with the dog and
many other everyday activities.
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As long as you are active at a moderate pace, which means
that you can talk while you are being active but you couldn’t
sing, you are increasing your health benefits. If you are
able to do more vigorous activity such as running, going to
the gym, taking an exercise class or biking, you will further
increase your health benefit and lower your risk of serious
illness.
For information on the Commonwealth Government’s Building
a Healthy, Active Australia, go to http://www.healthyactive.gov.au
This site explains the government’s commitment to improving
activity levels for children in schools and tips sheets for
families on how to choose healthy foods and be more active.
For a motivating walking program, go to the “Just Walk
It” site from the Heart Foundation and see if a group
is operating in your neighbourhood.
http://www.justwalkit.com.au
Sport and Recreation Queensland offer a wide array of programs
and resources for people interested in sport and recreation
activities. It includes “Move Baby Move” a booklet
for new parents on the benefits of movement for babies. The
website includes a fun playground site for kids. http://www.sportrec.qld.gov.au
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