In the midst of a global pandemic, 2020 has been a challenging year for all of us, putting additional pressures on our home and work life and testing our relationships with others like never before.
The new SA Government initiative Open Your World, reminds us it's now more important than ever to have a circle of people around us who we can rely on and turn to during these challenging times.
"Being connected to other people is essential for our overall health and wellbeing," according to Wellbeing SA.
"Good relationships enrich our lives, help us deal with difficult situations and support us to achieve our goals."
In the Active Lives survey (2019) conducted by the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing (ORSR), the results found that physical activity plays an important role in forming these social connections.
The findings concluded that South Australians who are active for 150 minutes or more per week enjoyed stronger social connections compared to 'somewhat active' (those recording between 1 and 149 minutes activity per week) and 'inactive' (those recording nil activity per week) South Australians.
Playing a sport can improve social and emotional skills and for kids, this social and emotional development is important to prepare them for the next phases of life in building a career, family, and relationships.
ORSR's Game On initiative aims to get South Australia moving so we can all reap the benefits of physical activity, including maintaining stronger social connections.
Going for a walk, hitting the gym or joining your local sports club will go a long way to ensure we keep happy, healthy and well!
So, let's get active together and check out our 'Find an Activity' page if you're looking for some ideas on how to get moving.
