Take International Rugby star Cory Jane, add a splash of digital technology and a drive to raise healthy New Zealand kids. The result? A fun and educational programme designed to inspire and motivate primary school children and their parents to lead healthier lives.

The 2011 Rugby World Cup winner and father of four is getting behind AIA New Zealand's Healthy Kids Challenge. The five-week programme aims to encourage 15,000 primary school children to be more active and eat well - all while having fun and learning.

"It's harder these days to motivate kids to get out into the fresh air and run around. There are so many electronic distractions to compete with," says Cory. "That's why the AIA Healthy Kids Challenge is great - it's using digital technology to encourage kids to get outside and get active."

As part of the health and well-being programme, each child receives a free pedometer to count the number of steps they take every day; each child also gets to create their own unique avatar. The programme records each class's daily average steps, giving them the opportunity to win prizes, including AIA $1,000 sports grants and Huawei Tablets for their school.

The children's journey is captured in a virtual online world showing their class's progress as they work together to unlock new destinations. As children complete each leg, they're shown an animated video of their avatar exploring each new place with Cory and other New Zealand sporting stars' avatars. They learn about the history and culture of the countries they 'visit', and get health tips along the way.

"It's exercise and learning wrapped up in one fun programme. Kids see how far they've walked every day on a map of the world, and count how many steps it takes to get to different parts of the globe," says Cory.

Parents can get involved too by getting active with their kids, says Cory. Parents are encouraged to use the website or download the challenge app and track their own steps and get active as a family. The more parents each participating class has involved, the more opportunities the class has to win great prizes - parents get the chance to win prizes too.

Cory and his wife Amie have four young children: daughters Iridessa, 3, and Prisseis, 5; sons Tennyson, 6, and Cassius, 9.

The family of six enjoys going for walks together. The secret, says Cory, is to keep it simple and make exercise fun: a ramble through the bush searching for tigers; a walk to the river to skim stones; or a simple trip to the park to mess about.

Cory's advice to kids is to get outdoors and let their imaginations run wild. He says that digital devices will always be there, but you're only young once. "I was always a sporty, energetic kid. I spent a lot of time outdoors, letting my imagination go crazy. Every day I'd pretend to be a different superhero. I was getting exercise, but it didn't feel like exercise because I was having fun."
Schools can make their activities fun too by coming up with different drills, says Cory, like a run to the school flag pole and back to class to see how much closer the drill has taken them to the next virtual destination.

Cory trains every day, and the intensity increases in the lead-up to a game. "I typically do weight training three times a week and team training as often as twice a day."

Cory admits that he doesn't like going for a run. His training involves a lot of running, but it's rarely in straight lines, instead it's around the field and as part of the many different drills. "I'm regularly racking up 25-30km a week during training."

Unsurprisingly, Cory says good food is crucial to his regimen. "Eating is huge. The better the food you eat, the more energy and the more fun you have."

And while children are young, it's important to get them to enjoy good food, says Cory. "The key is routine. Set the time for dinner and stick to it. Don't leave it too late or you'll find yourself turning to quick and easy bad meals. Keep the food simple for kids and make sure they're eating vegetables and fruit."

The AIA Healthy Kids Challenge is a great way for kids and their families to spend time together, all while getting active, says Cory. "The more people that embrace it and commit to having fun, the better it will be for everyone."

Registrations for the AIA Healthy Kids Challenge are now open, but places are limited - only 15,000 spots are available. So if you want your children and their class to take part in this free challenge, register your interest now at www.healthykids.kiwi. Once signed up, teachers will have access to a range of tools and resources that can be used in the classroom. The programme gets underway on October 26th.