PARRAMATTA EELS STARS JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST DIABETES
16 November 2004
Eric Grothe and John Morris from the Parramatta Eels rugby league team, along with the captain of the gold medal winning Australian men’s hockey team, Brent Livermore, showed their support for people living with diabetes today by hosting a fun exercise session in the lead up to the Sydney ASICS Walk for Wellbeing.
The ASICS Walk for Wellbeing is a fun four or eight kilometre fundraising event for Diabetes Australia, which will be held at Sydney Olympic Park on Sunday, November 28. With activity being one of the most important factors in managing Type 1 and preventing and managing Type 2 diabetes, the boys are looking to motivate young and old alike into taking daily exercise.
“For both John and myself, fitness is a significant part of our lives because of our professional rugby league commitments, but it’s really important that everyone leads an active lifestyle, whether they’re a professional athlete or not. Type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle disease that can be preventable, so it pays to lead an active lifestyle and maintain a well-balanced diet,” said Eric Grothe.
The Sydney event finishes off the new series walking events for all the family which cost just $7 to enter and ALL registration money goes straight to Diabetes Australia.
The issue of levels of obesity in Australia has been a hot media topic for a number of years, but diabetes is a less obvious disease associated with the decline in our eating and activity levels and it’s a silent killer. In fact diabetes is Australia’s sixth biggest killer.
The fun walk kicks off at 9.30am after a 9.10am Fitness First aerobics warm up! There will be lots of prizes and giveaways along the way to keep everyone occupied. Plus special prize categories such as Best Fancy Dress, Best Dressed Corporate Team, Biggest School Entry and Biggest Team plus loads more…
People can participate on the day but it’s best to get online and register early –
www.asics.com.au and follow the links to the registration site. Alternatively call the event organisers on 07 5449 0711 during office hours. Registration forms are available from key The Athlete’s Foot stores and Fitness First gyms throughout Sydney.
Diabetes – The Facts
Over three million Australians have diabetes or pre-diabetes, and many of them are unaware of their condition. It’s also one of the fastest growing diseases in the country with 70,271 people diagnosed in the last year. Diabetes Australia predicts that if this rate continues approximately 1.8 million Australians will have diabetes by 2010.
Two million Australians have pre-diabetes (the condition when blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough for a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes). If it is left untreated, it may develop into Type 2 diabetes within five to 10 years. In addition to the risk of developing diabetes, people with pre-diabetes are more likely to have a heart attack or stroke.
Type 2 diabetes (non insulin dependent) is one of the most common chronic childhood diseases in developed nations and lifestyle factors such as unhealthy eating and lack of physical activity can contribute to its development. Lifestyle changes can prevent or delay it.
