Monash University Netball Club is one of many sporting clubs across Victoria that signed up to the Active April program – a State Government initiative to tackle rising obesity rates.
By ALICE POHLNER
A record number of Victorians took part in the State Government’s Active April to fight alarming obesity rates with daily exercise.
More than 100,000 participants clocked 355,487 hours of exercise, with participation rising more than 10 per cent on last year, according to the Active April website.
The program – which began in 2008 – brings awareness to rising obesity rates where 80 per cent of Victorian adults and one in three children will be obese by 2025.
In a statement, Sport Minister John Eren said 30 minutes of exercise each day laid the foundation for a healthier life.
"This year’s record numbers are proof Victorians are more conscious than ever about embracing a healthy lifestyle," he said.
While it finished yesterday, the program helped motivate many participants to find a long-term fitness regime. Throughout the month, teams or individuals logged their exercise on the Active April website.
Q&A with Monash netball club’s social events
co-ordinator Steffanie Poort
AP: Why did Monash University Netball Club get involved with Active April?
SP: Active April is a good initiative for people to actually track their fitness. A lot of us think we do a lot of fitness every week where as we might not actually be doing so. For netballers in particular, I think it gives us a competitive edge where we want to say, "I’ve done more fitness" or "this person has done exercise today so it’s going to encourage me to do more."
SP: I aim to get fitter and instil fitness to carry on in the rest of the months this year, particularly leading into winter when it can become a bit more difficult to remain active and healthy. I think most of our players are thinking on a similar line to this. It can actually be a bit of a wake up call to track your exercise, as sometimes you don’t realise how hard it is to get moving every day. We want our players achieving the 30 minutes of exercise recommended per day to help them remain healthy, but also allow them to be as fit as possible for netball. As with any sport we want to focus our training on skills rather than worrying if our players are at an appropriate fitness level. The Active April program gives those involved a push in the right direction.
AP: How does it benefit participants?
SP: I've found one of the perks I’ve gotten from joining Active April is the reminder to exercise, because I can physically see how much exercise I've done and have to input it myself. I am reminded more clearly on days where I've not done anything. Additionally, the "team" function allows for a bit of healthy competition, so you’re able to see how much activity others are doing and be inspired to do more. On top of all that, they organised some great prizes to be won for those who get involved.
AP: How can Active April prevent Australia’s rising obesity rates?
SP: I definitely agree that obesity is a huge problem in Australia. I feel like while Active April is good in its encouragement for people to be active, the fact that it uses technology to track it is difficult, as overuse of technology has meant people are less active, thus resulting in rising obesity. If Active April wants to push itself further in tackling issues such as obesity, I would suggest adding in a dietary section to the site – a food diary so participants can input what they've been eating, and a menu section or meal plan, where participants can go for healthy meal ideas. I feel this would really assist participants, and as they say, being healthy is 20 per cent exercise, 80 per cent diet.