Keeping Active in Winter

June 2011

With the chilly temperatures and rainy skies of winter fast approaching, it’s easy to become housebound and forget the good physical activity habits we’ve developed over summer. Sometimes staying on the couch is a lot more inviting than getting active in the rainy, cold weather outside!

However, it’s really important to keep doing regular physical activity over the winter months. In research carried out for the Counties Manukau District Health Board during the summer of 2007, 67% of the 2520 people surveyed did regular physical activity. This compares to the same survey carried out during winter in 2009 which found only 58% of the almost 2400 people surveyed in Counties Manukau were regularly physically active. These results suggest that winter and the associated weather may impact on how much regular physical activity we do.

Regular physical activity is defined as at least 30 minutes most days for adults and at least 60 minutes every day for children aged up to 18. Children should also spend less than two hours a day in front of a screen, such as the TV, computer or a gaming console.

Doing regular physical activity has many benefits for your health and wellbeing. Regular physical activity, combined with a healthy diet, is key to preventing obesity and associated conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, some forms of cancer and high blood pressure. It can even help boost your immune system and protect you from getting a cold!

So why not try keeping active this winter? Through Counties Manukau Active, there are a vast range of indoor activities available such as line dancing, bowls, Zumba, Boxfit, Cook Island dance for adults or chair exercise. Organised sports, such as fastball, basketball and softball, are also underway. And if you really want to get outside, you can always go for a walk. Walking groups are organised in most areas. For more ideas on how to keep active this winter, ring 0800 ACTIVE or visit click here.