Donegal men aged over 45 are being encouraged by Donegal Sports Partnership to engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity five days a week.
The advice comes following the launch of Sport Ireland’s Your Personal Best Month by the Minister of State for Gaeltacht Affairs and Sport, Jack Chambers.
Your Personal Best Month, which will run throughout November, encourages men over 45 to “stop making excuses” and get more physically active.
Sport Ireland’s Irish Sports Monitor 2019 revealed that only one in four men aged 45-54 meet the World Health Organisation’s recommended 150 minutes of exercise per week. On average, men of this age are physically active for just 87 minutes per week or 12 minutes per day, with one in six not participating in any sport or exercise.
Repeated studies, including Sport Ireland’s most recent Irish Sports Monitor, have consistently shown that males aged over 45, particularly those from disadvantaged communities, are amongst those least likely to be active. As a result, they suffer from worse health, mental and physical, and are more likely to die younger than the rest of the population. Socio-economic standing also influences activity levels. Those with the highest education and income are twice as likely to play sports than those the poorest backgrounds who, in turn, are the most likely to lead sedentary lives, with 16 per cent claiming to take no form of exercise.
The campaign is being supported by various sporting bodies such as Cycling Ireland, Athletics Ireland, Get Ireland Walking and Swim Ireland, who will provide information, advice and programmes for men who want to become more active with resources available at www.sportireland.ie. The campaign is also being supported by the nationwide network of Local Sport Partnerships, who will provide practical support on the ground.
Speaking at the official launch of Your Personal Best Month, Minister Chambers said: “The positive role that sport and physical activity play in our health and physical wellbeing as a nation should never be underestimated.
“Your Personal Best Month will have a positive impact on a group that is consistently under-represented when it comes to participation in sport and physical activity, which in turn will have knock-on benefits for them in terms of their health and wellbeing.
“The current pandemic has highlighted the need more than ever for people to care for themselves and sport and physical activity are a brilliant outlet for many to do so.”
Also present at the launch were Sport Ireland Chief Executive, John Treacy and Professor Niall Moyna, Head of the School of Health and Human Performance at Dublin City University. Actor and broadcaster, Simon Delaney, and former Ireland rugby international, John Hayes, are also acting as campaign ambassadors.
Sport Ireland is the authority tasked with the development of sport in Ireland and this includes participation in sport and physical activity. Your Personal Best Month is aimed squarely at a group in society that has consistently been amongst those least likely to enjoy the benefits of participating in sport and physical activity, with funding for the project coming from the Dormant Accounts Fund.
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