Greater Bendigo residents falling behind on exercise, nutrition guidelines as 10th Premier's Active April campaign gets underway

About 52 per cent of the local government area’s residents do not meet physical activity guidelines, according to the city’s health and wellbeing profile.

It comes as the Premier’s Active April challenge gets underway – a 10-year-old campaign encouraging Victorians to lead healthy and active lives.

Participants are encouraged to incorporate 30 minutes of exercise into their daily lives.

The April 2017 data from Greater Bendigo was largely consistent with activity levels of adults statewide

Less than half of Victorian adults are achieving the recommended levels of physical activity, according to the state government.

Only 20 per cent of Victorian children are getting enough exercise.

In addition to exercise, Greater Bendigo residents are falling behind on dietary intake guidelines.

Almost 58 per cent of adults do not consume the recommended two serves of fruit daily, while 91.4 per cent don’t eat five serves of vegetables daily.

More than a quarter of adults living in Greater Bendigo are obese, while 26.8 per cent are pre-obese.

“Active April is the perfect opportunity to get moving and get healthy,” Minister for Sport John Eren said.

One of the areas of focus in this year’s campaign is exercising with a pet.

“Pets are more than loyal companions – like me, they’re also advocates for a healthy lifestyle,” Active April Ambassador Daisy Pearce said.

The Australian Rules Footballer said her favourite way to get active when she was not training was to take her dog Django for a run or walk.

Mr Eren also highlighted the benefits of family activities after Australian Sports Commission data showed 57 per cent of fathers and 61 per cent of mothers of children aged up to 15 years exercised.

A number of incentives are available to Active April participants including discounts and free passes.

Registrations are open until April 30 at www.activeapril.vic.gov.au