Geelong is on a mission to become Australia’s most active city and empower people to get more active. It’s called Active Geelong and it is leading the movement movement.
Being a local Geelong-based organisation, GMHBA is proud to support Active Geelong and its mission. Active Geelong aims to inspire community participation in a growing number of accessible and enjoyable physical activity opportunities. For everybody, every day.
What is Active Geelong?
In 2017, the Geelong health and business community came together and identified improving physical activity as a priority for our region. Through this shared commitment, Active Geelong was formed. Active Geelong is a collective impact organisation aiming to make Geelong Australia's most active city.
Active Geelong is a group of dedicated experts collaborating and using a collective impact approach to support, coordinate and promote physical activity initiatives in the Geelong region that empowers people to move more.
Active Geelong aims to inspire community participation in a growing number of accessible and enjoyable physical activity opportunities. For everybody, every day.
Why is Active Geelong important?
Did you know that physical inactivity is one of the most common risk factors for disease and early death in Australia?
Currently, 42 per cent of adults in the Barwon region do not meet the physical activity guidelines, that is, accumulating 150 to 300 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both moderate and vigorous activities, each week.
The most prevalent chronic disease in Greater Geelong is hypertension, nearly one-third of adults report this condition.
Physical activity is a major factor in preventing and reducing the risk of many chronic health conditions. Participation in regular physical activity can help prevent:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Depression and anxiety
- Dementia
- Sleep disorders
- Hypertension
- Obesity
- Certain cancers, including colon and breast
Why is GMHBA supporting Active Geelong?
GMHBA is proud to provide the backbone support for Active Geelong, making it happen through support from our Prevention and Community team.
“Encouraging and supporting people in our Geelong community to be more physically active is something that we are very passionate about at GMHBA,” said Mark Valena, GMHBA CEO.
“We’ve made a commitment to support Active Geelong because we believe it can make a real difference to the health and wellbeing of our community.”
Active Geelong is one of GMHBA’s flagship community partnerships and aligns with the preventative health focus on physical activity.
How can I get involved?
You can get involved by becoming a Movement Champion! Anyone can be a Movement Champion, simply register at activegeelong.org.au.
When you register you receive tips and resources to inspire physical activity, and everyone who registers helps Geelong to get one step closer to becoming Australia’s most active city.
