The Minister for Health and Wellbeing, Meegan Fitzharris has thrown her weight behind a new exercise and activity campaign encouraging people to stay healthy and prevent chronic health conditions.
To be conducted by the Heart Foundation, the new digital and broadcast campaign called Activate My Day will provide tips and ideas on how to incorporate incidental activity into day-to-day lives.
Ms Fitzharris said the ACT was supporting the campaign by allocating $170,000 from the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate’s Active Living Program.
“Activate My Day will provide Canberrans with tips and ideas on how to incorporate incidental activity in their day-to-day lives,” Ms Fitzharris said.
“Simple exercises such as using the stairs instead of lifts or escalators, parking 10 minutes away from school or work to add in a daily walk or encouraging colleagues to ‘walk and talk’ for a meeting rather than sitting are just some of the practical ideas that will prompt people to keep moving to improve their health.”
She said the Heart Foundation had identified that one in two Canberrans was not getting enough physical activity.
“That’s why we’re urging Canberrans to get behind this new digital campaign to encourage one another to get active,” Ms Fitzharris said.
“We also know there is room for improvement, with adults averaging more than six hours of sedentary behaviour every day and five–15-year-olds spending more than two hours on screen each day.”
