#active april

[thoughtdawtah]

[eatmovesmile]

Active April!

This month we are celebrating Active April. The month encourages all Victorians to do 30 minutes of physical activity a day to help everyone to be active, healthy, and to ‘move more often’.

Start small – whether it is going for three 10 minute walks throughout the day, playing in the backyard with the kids, or doing a spot of gardening; every little bit counts!

With many Victorians seemingly struggling to fit 30 minutes of physical activity into their busy days, why not try incorporating physical activity into your life by walking the kids to school or by standing up at work every time you take a phone call? Not only will your mental, physical, and emotional health benefit, but you will also be more productive at work and have more energy to spend time with your family!

Head to the Active April website here to sign up and challenge yourself. Create a team, track your activity, download the free family planner and get involved this April! Check out their workout videos too for some inspiration.

Trust us - your body will love you for every step you take towards being more active!

[hellowellmeaning]

Active April

I’m sharing this month’s Action for Happiness calendar, which “has daily suggested actions to do throughout April 2018 to help you stay active and give your mind & body a boost.” As the quote at the end of the calendar says, “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” You can download and print this as a PDF to hang on your wall as a reminder. Happy April!

[eatmovesmile]

Get Active This April

Premier’s Active April is part of the Victorian Governments commitment to promote healthy and active lifestyles and get Victorian’s to join in the fun of increased physical activity. Active April encourages all Victorians to do 30 minutes of physical activity a day during April. There are many benefits to being physically active. Participating in physical activity on a regular basis improves both your physical and mental health while also reducing the risk of developing several diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers.

Swan Hill District Health have joined with Swan Hill Rural City Council and local service providers to promote some local physical activity opportunities during April this year. the following are participating in Active April and have special offers available.  

Swan Hill Leisure Centre

Voyage Fitness

Katherine Bissett Exercise Physiologist

AFL Active with Darren Keune

Swan Hill Indoor Basketball Stadium

Swan Hill Yoga Bliss

Bike Group

MDAS Bootcamp

Riverfront Walking Group

Swan Hill Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club

For more information about the offers visit the special offers page and select the Swan Hill Rural City Council logo.  

This is  a great initiative to lock in those active habits while the weather is still nice. You can use the month to trial a range of physical activity options that are on offer in our community. Trying new activities can help you to learn what type of activities you enjoy and what types are not suited for you. Doing a range of activates also keeps your physical activity exciting and helps avoid boredom.

Active April participants have access to a range of incentives and prizes. We have also developed some local prizes for community members that register with the Swan Hill Region Active April Team. 

How to register

1. visit  http://www.activeapril.vic.gov.au/ and create your own Active April account.

2. request to join a team and enter the team name (Team ID) swan-hill-region

3. Look for councils logo in the special offers section of the website for a full list of offers and contact information.

Get active this April and feel the difference!

[eatmovesmile]

Encouraging Nature Play

Nature Play is the term used to describe simple, unstructured play opportunities in the natural environment. Most people are aware of how important it is to encourage children to get outside and be active. However for many children outdoor activity is often only through structured sport. Lately there has been a focus on the importance of unstructured play that allows children to learn life skills and be imaginative and creative. Nature play is a great way for children to be active outside of structured activities particularly for children who don’t enjoy structured sports or if these sports are too expensive or not available.

Dr. Dimity Williams, Co-founder of Kids in Nature Network stated that ‘The variety of sounds, sights and textures found in different outdoor settings provides opportunities for all senses to be used together and, with the unpredictability that comes from being outside, encourages creative play, exploration and problem solving.’

During Active April we are encouraging all sorts of physical activity including unstructured nature play. Kids do better outside so here are a few unstructured play ideas that can be done in most back yards

Picking flowers and making daisy chains

Mud pies and cakes

Hide and seek

Playing in a sand pit

Collecting interesting or unusual items in the back yard

Building a tree house or teepee

Exploring the garden

Playing with pets

Playing in leaves

Collecting bugs

These are just a few ways children can interact with nature in their back yard. This type of play will provide a range of benefits including developing skills as well as being active outside.