Push Play Week `the way to go for health'

Volleyball and vacuuming are two of many exercises undertaken during Push Play Week which finishes on Sunday.
Today is national Push Play Day but Northland has for several years extended the concept to Push Play Week.
"It's about people getting out and having a go at some exercise for about 30 minutes a day," Sport Northland Push Play participation co-ordinator Derek Probert said. "It's more like `have a go week'."
The exercise could take the form of such mundane tasks as vacuuming the house and mowing the lawns to more racy routines like volleyball, going for a walk, playing with the kids, gardening, riding the bike, washing the car, going to the gym, sweeping the driveway or playing sport. "If people get into the habit of doing 30 minutes exercise a day, whatever it is, they will feel better for it," Probert said.
According to the Push Play pamphlet, the benefits of regular moderate exercise include feeling good, increased energy levels, losing weight and reducing the risk of heart disease, strokes, high blood pressure, colon cancer, depression and anxiety. Last year over 3600 Northlanders, including hundreds of school kids, filled out Push Play forms proving they had done their 30 minutes exercise per day for the week. Sport Northland were hoping for even more participants this time around.
Push Play group-walks were to take place in Whangarei at lunchtime today.