SPARC

You already want to be more active. So it's simple to build physical activity into your daily routine:

* Take the stairs instead of the lift
* Walk to the shops rather than drive
* Get off the bus early and walk
* Park the car further away from the office and walk
* When you walk, step out briskly
* Wash your car by hand
* Use chores around the garden to work up a sweat

"A 10 percent increase in the number of physically active adults would save around 300 lives each year - and five times this number could be saved if every adult was sufficiently active."

Dr Dave Gerrard, Associate Professor, University of Otago Medical School"Just 30 minutes of physical activity taken regularly will benefit the health of everyone.

The following resources can also be used as a starting point to become more active:

• Cycling pdf 136k
• Walking pdf 279k
• Water Activities pdf 199k
• Stretching pdf 244k
• Running pdf 195k
• Medical Conditions and Physical Activity pdf 197k
• Going to the Gym? pdf 166k
• Pregnancy and Physical Activity pdf 146k

SPARC is delighted to continue sponsorship of the ACC Thinksafe NZ Masters Games being held in Wanganui in February 2005.

Involvement in the 5km road walk or run fits well with our Push Play message of at least 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week. We hope that these events can provide a goal for those just starting to be more active, or a challenge for the more seasoned competitor.

Masters sport is in perfect harmony with SPARC’s vision of New Zealand being the most active nation. The Games challenge some of the barriers to participation in sport often highlighted by people as they grow older - that they are too old and that sport is for younger people, and older people should slow down and take it easy. Anyone who has ever attended the Games knows that this attitude has no place in the world of the masters and veteran participant.