With just six weeks left until the new year, it is easy to let your health and fitness slip with a view to getting it back on track with a new year challenge when 2020 rolls around.
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But by actually doing a six-week end-of-year challenge to count down 2019 you can hit 2020 feeling great. Staying active through a busy November and December might also help keep your sanity.
Staying active can be easier said than done. If you are looking for inspiration, there are plenty of health and fitness apps out there. A popular one for those wanting to do a running event in 2020 might be Couch to 5k, which helps guide those starting out towards being able to run 5km in around nine weeks.
The Australian government have a range of online initiatives as well with a national sport plan to become the world's most active and healthy nation by 2030. These include Sport Australia's Find your 30 (www.sportaus.gov.au/findyour30) campaign which offers suggestions for 30 minutes of physical activity each day.
A recent AusPlay survey by Sport Australia identified sport and physical activity habits across the country, which was fairly interesting.
It showed the Australian Capital Territory to have Australia's most active adults, reporting in 2018-19 some 87.8 per cent of Canberrans aged 15 or over participated in sport or physical activity at least once a week.
That was above the national rate of 82.3 per cent. More than two-thirds (69.1 per cent) of ACT adults participated at least three times a week.
Sport Australia chief executive office Kate Palmer said AusPlay, which surveys 20,000 Australians annually, was an important way to track how Australians engage with sport and physical activity.
"The latest AusPlay results show that almost 13 million Australians [62.9 per cent] aged 15 or over participate in sport or physical activity at least three times a week," Ms Palmer said.
"Almost 60 per cent of Australian children are active at least once a week in organised activities outside school. We want to see that increase because we know the physical, mental and social benefits that being active provides."
AusPlay shows that recreational walking continues to be the most popular activity across the nation, with almost nine million Australian adults making it part of a physically active lifestyle.
Swimming is the organised activity of choice for a large proportion of Australian children aged 0-14, ahead of football and gymnastics.
Aggregated AusPlay data from October 2015 to June 2019 also showed:
- Activities with the most gender equity among adults include bush walking, jogging and running, fitness/gym and swimming;
- Physical health and fitness are the strongest motivation for keeping active. Young adults are more motivated to be active for fun and social reasons but as we age, mental health and the enjoyment of being outdoors become significant factors;
- While sport remains an important form of activity throughout life, non sport-related physical activity becomes more important as we age;
- Sport clubs are the primary avenue for children's organised activity, with almost half of Australia's children involved in a club sport outside of school hours;
- Australians living in major cities are more active than those living in remote or very remote areas;
- Time constraints are the biggest barrier to physical activity for adults up to middle age. Poor health or injury then becomes the main obstacle;
- Use of technology in support of physical activity is popular, particularly amongst young to middle aged adults. Apps for tracking activity or training are the most common types of technology.
More information about AusPlay can be found at www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/ausplay.
Upcoming Fitness Events
Variety Santa Fun Run, The Station, December 8: The event has 5km and 10km courses and is fully inclusive and family friendly. And what more incentive is there than that every participant gets a Santa suit included in their entry fee.
Across the Harbour Swim, Newcastle harbour, January 26: Choose between the 700-metre single crossing or 1.4km double crossing of the harbour.
Maximum Adventure Race, Lake Macquarie, February 15: This race is part of a national series designed to offer an introduction to adventure racing. It is done in pairs and features mountain biking, trail running and kayaking.
Spring Sessions Week #12
Don't wait until the new year to launch into a six-week health and fitness challenge. Start now. Try this cardio-strength combo session, which can be done at the park, the gym or at home (modify the cardio parts to skipping, walking on the spot or running/walking around the block).
Workout: 15 squats with alternating single-arm shoulder press, 15 lunges with biceps curls, 15 dead lifts with bent-over row, run/walk/row/cycle 500 metres, 15 push-ups, 15 upright row, 15 triceps dips, run/walk/cycle/row 500m. Repeat twice.
Add a warm-up and cool-down and five minutes of core work.
Send your health and fitness news to r.valentine@newcastleherald.com.au.
