Inactivity is killing us!

"Inactivity is the fourth largest cause of chronic conditions in Australia and the nation is now one of the most obese on earth. Fifty-six percent of Australian adults — or more than 10 million people — are living sedentary or low-activity lifestyles." - Sport Australia

I would never have dreamed that in a country with as many resources as we have, and the outdoor lifestyle we are privileged to enjoy that we could ever be in this situation. But here we are! we HAVE to move more! because...

"moving less is affecting our waistlines, health and health system. In 2008, it was estimated physical inactivity costs Australia more than $13 billion each year in healthcare costs, lost productivity and reduced premature mortality"

• 81 per cent of Australian children are not meeting the recommended Australian guidelines
• nearly 70 per cent of adults are either sedentary or have low levels of physical activity
• two-thirds of adults and one-quarter of children are overweight or obese

This statistic from The Australian Government was a real eye opener for me...

we know that;

1. There is a direct link between what you Think, how you Feel and what you Do
2. You cannot think greater than how you're feeling
3. The quickest way to change how you're feeling is to change your physiology

Sounds simple right?...just move! But getting kids moving is turning out to be a huge challenge considering the amount of distractions they have these days, especially around devices.

The knee jerk reaction is to label all technology as evil and try and minimise it, but we live in a world where Digital Literacy is critical to our kids success in the future of work. The flip side is that Physical Literacy is equally as important because (besides the obvious health and well being benefits) research shows fitter children achieve better academic results which can lead to better opportunities.

So we need a balance...and to reconcile these dilemmas.

Fortunately for us, we found the answer a few years ago. The product is called BlazePod and it's doing wonders reconciling the Tech vs Activity dilemma. So over the past two years we have been working closely with the team at Blazepod developing activities that are directly aligned to the all the major players and agendas.

1. The national Sports 2030 Agenda
2. The Physical Literacy drive - Sport Aus/ AIS
3. The Australian Physical Education Curriculum - General Capabilities
4. The Australian Physical Education Curriculum - F-10

As Australia's first Blazepod Master Trainer, I've been amazed at the results we've been getting. There is nothing better than seeing young Australians running around enjoying life! But we need to find ways to get more kids moving.

I recently had the privilege of interviewing the founder and CEO, Mr Yaniv Shneiderman about this amazing product. If you have 15 mins, this is well worth it!

(Click on the image below)

Let's get outside and get moving! We owe it to this generation!

Contact me if you would like to find out more about the numerous links between Blazepod and the Australian Physical Education Curriculum F-10.

Keep Moving

Hank van der Merwe

BlazePod Master Trainer &

Co Founder Think Feel Do (PTY) LTD