The Importance of MOVE’ing.

The Importance of MOVE’ing.

Let’s face it, all of us have very different and personal reasons for being active and simply move’ing.

For some of us we are active because we want to compete, this can be about competing against the best in the state, the country or the world when it comes to your sport of choice. For others that definition of the “competition” is ourselves, we want to be the best version of who we are, we always race the person we see in the mirror and your best is when you are completely spent to the core and have nothing left to give.

For others, being active is about being part of the community, the swimming club or the bowls club are important places for people to come together with a sense of community and the friendships and the camaraderie are as important as the activity itself.

Some people move and are being active because it is about getting better or healthier, if for instance you have had a major operation or are returning from injury, being active is about getting better and improving on your current situation.

We know that every person has a different reason and motivation for being active. Being active for one person may be defined as walking the dog once a day, another person may describe being active by doing a 10km run 4 times a week or it could be the netball practice twice a week and game on a Saturday that defines being active. Defining activity is not what it is about, but rather encouraging people to be active is what it is about and the associated benefits.

ME TIME:

Life can be busy and a little crazy, and through it all we all need those moments to indulge ourselves on our own island of “me time.” Getting on the bike at 5am is as much about your “me time” as it is about your fitness. Perhaps it is the opportunity to escape the thoughts of work and your inbox, or just get away from the wife and kids for a few hours. It is ok to give yourself permission to indulge and enjoy your time on the “me time” island. Use it as an opportunity to clear your head and your thoughts and to re-charge and re-power for what lies ahead. Just like you need to charge your mobile phone, you need to re-charge yourself and that re-charge is in the power of “me time.” Just try it.

YOUR HEALTH:

Sport Australia have recently launched the “MOVE it AUS” campaign which is to inspire Australians to be more active on a daily basis. The campaign is encouraging all Australians to be active for 30 minutes a day. Clearly there is a national concern about the reduction in activity we are now showing is a nation, and so there should be.

The facts are quite scary, 50% of adults and 80% of children are inactive as we shift from a nation of sporting participants to sporting viewers. We are becoming more sedentary and less active and spending more time on a myriad of screens that are changing our lives.

Another interesting thought is that as parents we should be conscious that our children will look to us as role models of behavior. We have an opportunity to establish behavior’s that encourage our children to be active. This is not about being that pushy parent (because we all know one) that is a win at all costs for their kid, but it is about encouraging children to have a balance in their life and part of that balance is about being active and participating in something that involves physical movement. There are benefits to regular physical activity, some of these listed on betterhealth.vic.gov.au are:

• Reduce your risk of a heart attack
• Manage your weight better
• Have a lower blood cholesterol level
• Lower the risk of type 2 diabetes and some cancers
• Have lower blood pressure
• Have stronger bones, muscles and joints and lower the risk of osteoporosis
• Lower your risk of falls
• Recover better from period of hospitalisation or bed rest
• Feel better – with more energy, a better mood, feel more relaxed and sleep better

Looks like a pretty compelling list of benefits to gain from taking some form of regular physical activity. Whatever your passion or motivation for being active, keep that passion alive, encourage others to find that passion for being active. Take some time out and enjoy some “me time” on your island and keep MOVE’ing – it’s important!