According to research, getting and staying active has an enormous effect on our quality of life as we get older. Go for Life is the national programme for sports and physical activity for older people in Ireland.
The Go For Life Programme helps groups to plan and lead physical activities and sports. Your group could get more active in fun and interesting ways. Go for Life tutors, based around the country, will come and talk to your group about getting more active, what activities groups can do and can even offer workshops to people in your group to give them the skills to run regular activities.
In 2008, Go for Life worked directly with over 35,000 people. Approximately 900 of these are PALs (Physical Activity Leaders) who then run sports and physical activity sessions among their own groups, helping the numbers who benefit from Go for Life to multiply rapidly.
The Go For Life Programme also includes a small grants scheme that could buy your group some new equipment, get you an instructor for a few classes or can cover some of your running costs. In 2008, over 700 groups received small grants for this purpose.
Go for Life is an Age & Opportunity initiative, funded by the Irish Sports Council. It runs in partnership with the Health Service Executive Health Promotion Units and the Local Sports Partnerships.
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Why get active?
Feel good. Get active!
People always say “You’re only as old as you feel”. Well, it turns out to be true. Science has proven that staying active keeps your body younger, no matter what it says on your birth cert.
Half-an-hour each day is all it takes to turn back the clock. Activities like going for a walk, doing the hoovering or playing a round of pitch and putt can make all the difference. Activity stops you from getting stiff. It keeps away colds and infections. It helps you avoid heart disease and diabetes. It keeps you sharp. And, best of all, it cheers you up and gives you energy.
People over 50 have increased their involvement in physical activity in Ireland from 28% in 2006 to 40% in 2008. More and more people are discovering that, once they get started, they can really feel the benefits and soon are in the habit.
Have I left it too late?
No, you can get active at any age. Start off with a 10-minute activity like this:
Walk back from the local shop as if you are in a hurry,
Throw and catch a ball,
Go up and down the stairs or steps a few times.
Build on this until you are getting half-an-hour of health enhancing physical activity each day. Make these activities part of your day and soon you won’t even notice you are doing them. But you will notice how much better you feel.
A study by Dr Laurel Yates, at the Brigham and Women's hospital in Boston, found that people who started to get physical activity a little later in life (her study was of men in their 70s) significantly increased how long they would live.
What can I do on my own?
You can get active in your own home or in your neighbourhood. Bring your dog out for a walk. Give your windows a good clean. Go for a swim. Plan to make an extra trip to the shop each day: anything that will get your heart beating a little faster. Do half-an-hour or three 10-minute bursts of activity.
Go for Life has lots of ideas about physical activities you can do safely in your own home.
What can I do with friends?
Maybe you are part of a group already or you go to a centre with your friends and neighbours. Go for Life can help you to plan and to run activities that suit your group: bowling, golf, pitch and toss, swimming, dancing, walking and lots more. Once your group is up and running, talk to Go for Life about a grant to buy equipment or to try something new. Ring 071 9650498 to find out what is happening in your area.
How do I get involved?
Go for Life is run in partnership with the Health Service Executive (HSE) Health Promotion Units and the Local Sports Partnerships (LSP). Talks, workshops and other events are all available locally. Further Information can be got from Leitrim Sports Partnership on 071 9650498 or sports@leitrimcoco.ie