health hero

Health hero success

Health Hero Paul McArdle of Bike On NZ has proved again how much he deserves the title of health hero: he has been centrally involved in the successful Hastings District Council bid for $4 million to become a model community for walking and cycling. From the HDC media release:

"Hastings will be making walking and cycling “simply irresistible” after winning a national bid to be a New Zealand Transport Agency walking and cycling model community. Hastings and New Plymouth went up against 22 other cities to win the bid and Hastings will get $4.1m - $3.57m to invest in walking and cycling infrastructure and $518,000 for education. The cities will then be “how to” models for the rest of New Zealand."

Paul says everybody wins when more people are walking and cycling:

"There will be less traffic congestion, people will be healthier and Hawke’s Bay businesses will benefit from more cycling tourism."

Initiatives coming out of the project include:

Working with Hastings employers to encourage staff to walk and cycle to work.

Improving facilities for people cycling into the CBD, to bus stops, to work and school.
Encouraging young people to learn to ride safely to school.
Promoting safe cycling routes.
Improving road networks for cycle safety.

Congratulations Paul and the team at HDC! Click for more information.

School bike track opens

On Friday 19 February the Prime Minister Rt Hon John Key opened on the St Mary's School Bike Track - imagined and realised by health hero Paul McArdle of Bike On NZ.

A winding limestone track around the perimeter of the school gives the year 1 - 3 pupils a safe way to learn the skills of riding - and staying on - a bicycle. Bike On has supplied 60 bikes of three sizes for children aged 5 - 8 years, as well as three bikes for teachers, and helmets for everyone.

A skills course designed and build by New Zealand cycling legend Jonathan Kennett offers the children a bit more challenge, with berms, bridges, see-saws, and posts to weave in and out of. And a pump track brings added fitness options for the children (see video clip below).

Cycling offers children a wide range of balance and co-ordination skills, and being active in childhood has proven health benefits for later in life.

See the Bike On Blog for more information and video clips.

health hero

Watch Kath Johnstone, 92 year old swimmer and 2009 Sydney Masters games multi-gold medallist:

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Learn from Kath

Kath Johnstone is a health hero because of the positive health and wellbeing choices she has made throughout life. Whatever our age, stage or circumstances, we can all learn from Kath:

Be active: maintaining regular physical activity is a well-tested way to prevent most of the long term illnesses that cause early death, or reduce quality of life: heart disease, strokes, diabetes, cancers, dementia. Kath has an lifelong exercise habit, and is active in some way every day, including stretches on her bad at home, swimming, and exercising at the gym.
Be positive: Kath maintains a positive, can-do, flexible approach to life. On turning 70, she decided to do something adventurous every year, and so has had some pretty exciting experiences over the past 20 years: sky-diving, white-water rafting, black-water rafting, rally driving, to name a few.
Be sociable: Kath has an active social life with her family, and the people she lives at Abbbeyfield with. Each week she takes her 96 year old sister (all 6 siblings survive and are in their eighties and nineties) on an outing to Takapuna, and she enjoys takes an active interest in companionship with others
Eat well: Kath enjoys food – she ‘eats everything’ she says, and has a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables. A diet low in saturated fats is important.

For more health tips go to our self care section.