Kiwi fitness appalls head of ExerciseNZ

We’re ending the year on a fail in exercise and an activity level score of D.

ExerciseNZ chief executive Richard Beddies says Kiwi exercise attitudes and government focus needs to change.

“We now rate as one of the worst in the world for not doing enough physical activity. Where the world average is around 50 per cent of the population doing enough activity, in New Zealand, a country that once took pride in its energetic levels, it’s just 25 per cent — or only one in four people doing enough physical activity. This is just appalling and needs to change,” says Beddies.

“For Kiwi children it gets worse. Only one in 10 (or just 10 per cent) meets the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommended guidelines for physical activity.

“Two decades ago we believed Kiwi kids were always outdoors playing and exercising.

“But the age of fast food, computers and digital games has changed all that. Clearly something isn’t working, and things need to change. The government, schools and families need to urgently address this.

“Next is the scorecard of preventable lifestyle-related disease, I give New Zealand a C minus.

“Obesity, type II diabetes, heart disease, many cancers and numerous degenerative diseases are at best entirely preventable, or at the very least able to be slowed down or have far more treatment effectiveness for those that are physically active.

“While there are many initiatives to attempt to address this, the government and the exercise industry need to work much more closely and effectively to not only slow, but ultimately reverse and then free up funds to deal with nonpreventable disease.

He said they were keen to talk to the government in the new year if they want New Zealand’s exercise levels to improve and avoid substantial expensive health bills.

“The financial cost of this horrendous lack of physical activity is borne by the tax payer. But the wider social and personal costs affect workplaces, family and wha¯ nau as well a huge personal toll for many who suffer from lifestylerelated diseases.”

“The solution needs to involve everyone: government, employers, community and exercise industry. We should focus on getting more Kiwis physically active where we all work to find exciting solutions with the Kiwi #8 wire mentality.”