Activity and nutrition workshops offer balance to family life

We want Otago families to be active families! Being physically active is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle and contributes to a wide range of health benefits.

Participating in a wide range of activities form a young age assists children to master basic motor skills while also developing strong muscles and joints.

It is also a great way to spend time with family and friends. There is no excuse for being inactive everything is so very close in Dunedin as we live in a fantastic environment and everything is on our doorstep.
The Sport Otago Active Families programme is designed to encourage families to become more active.

Over 10 weeks, families on the programme are exposed to activities such as team building, beach education; sports such as athletics, cricket, touch and softball, plus nutrition workshops on food planning, supermarket tours and practical cooking. The programme also offers one-on-one support of Active Families Coordinator Honor Davies. Davies, a Commonwealth Karate Silver and Bronze medalist and international cycling representative says sport offers so much to people of any age and ability.

Passionate about all sports, Davies says, “Sport has taught me a lot about work ethic, discipline, perseverance, social skills, confidence, body awareness, time management, emotional control, stress management and the importance of eating right and sleeping well. I hope that my passion inspires the families I work with and others I come in contact with.”

Davies says a big part of the programme is getting caregivers on-board. “Being an Active Family needs to be caregiver-driven. If children see Mum and Dad eating a healthy breakfast and going for weekend walks then this becomes a normal part of family life for the children involved. Being a good role model can also make parenting easier further down the track – it won’t be as hard to get children off the Playstation in later years and setting good examples now teaches good habits that children can carry not only into adulthood but into parenthood also.”

Sport Otago will be running a series of workshops throughout March and April for any family interested in learning how to become more active.

The first workshop – ‘Keeping the Balance’ will be on Tuesday 24 March. Other workshops planned for the programme include ‘Pushing Play’ on Tuesday 31 March, and ‘You Are What You Eat’ on Tuesday 7 April.

Attendance at the workshops is free to any family who is interested in making lifestyle changes.
For more information on the Active Families programme or to register for the workshops, please contact Honor Davies, Active Families Coordinator, Sport Otago, phone: 474 6416.