Fitness: Here Are 8 Strategies To Get Canadians On The Move

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Despite the many benefits of regular exercise, including improved health, sleep, mood, and quality of life, Canadians are still not active enough. Only 16 percent of adults get the recommended 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity a week. Among this crowd of reluctant athletes, eight out of 10 take fewer than 5,000 steps a day.

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What will it take to get more Canadians moving? According to the International Society for Physical Activity and Health, the creation of active communities requires numerous strategies that are executed simultaneously in all sectors of society.

“Physical activity is influenced by policies and practices in education, transportation, parks and recreation, the media and business, so multiple sectors of society must be involved in the solutions,” said ISPAH.

To help promoters and agitators develop policies and actions that encourage physical activity, ISPAH developed 8 investments that work for physical activity. Their goal is to reduce the number of inactive people worldwide by 10 percent by 2025 and 15 percent by 2030. They are asking “everyone, everywhere, including professionals, academics, civil society and decision makers that integrate physical activity at the national level and sub-national policies. “

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Here are the investments they say community activists around the world should consider implementing.

School-wide programs

Physical activity programs in schools should extend beyond the gym. Equipping outdoor spaces with structures and equipment that promote active play, adding physically active programming during lunch hours and after school, promoting walk / bike to school programs, including places to lock bicycles and safe procedures for bicyclists to get to and from school during busy pick-up hours, pick-up and drop-off periods, and school-wide themes that encourage physical activity such as step challenges, Olympic days, and Activity breaks in the classroom are part of teaching children how to incorporate more movement into their day.

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Active travel

Adding more bike lanes and walking trails that improve connectivity to public transportation, shopping malls, parks, and schools is one of the easiest ways to promote active transportation. And since biking or walking to work, school, and the neighborhood is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to get 150 minutes of exercise a week, an investment in active transportation is a step in the right direction.

Active urban design

It is not enough to build a network of walking and biking trails. People need destinations like parks and green spaces where they can throw a Frisbee, put on a pair of cross-country skis, or push their kids on a swing. It is also important that the routes and facilities are maintained during the winter and that the bike lanes are separated from traffic with more than a painted line. Adults living in cities with safe, accessible, and affordable places to be active amassed 68 to 89 more minutes of physical activity per week than citizens living in neighborhoods with fewer opportunities to get around, statistics that all cities should aspire to.

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Health care

Healthcare providers and general practitioners should promote the health benefits of physical activity with their patients during annual checkups, offering suggestions on the types of activities that best suit the individual’s health needs, as well as providing a list of local, economic and age activities. -appropriate resources. Health professionals who include exercise in discussions of general health and wellness validate the importance of physical activity in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Public education, including the media

One of the first Canadian campaigns promoting physical activity claimed that the average 30-year-old Canadian was in the same shape as a 60-year-old Swede. I arrive home. Since that ad first appeared on television nearly 50 years ago, there has been little to match it. Too. Getting addicted to television where they sit, with engaging public service announcements designed to get people moving, is an important strategy for changing public opinion about regular exercise.

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Work places

Canadians spend a third of their day at the office, making it the ideal place to promote physical activity. Workplace fitness programs, designated spaces to place a yoga mat for a quick workout, walk-ins, and subsidized gym or class memberships are all ways employers can encourage staff to move more and sit less.

Programs for the whole community

Opportunities to be active should not be limited to gyms and recreation centers. The community-wide approach to increasing levels of physical activity means that shopping malls, community centers, grocery stores, and libraries are part of the action plan. Positive messages and signage that encourage the use of stairs instead of the elevator; organize walking groups in local senior malls before opening hours, especially during the winter months; putting exercise bikes in waiting rooms and setting up outdoor gyms in communities are easy-to-implement ideas that make fitness accessible.

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Sports and recreation for all

The love of sports starts early and doesn’t have to wane with age. However, many people stop playing sports in their teens. Sports organizations must provide opportunities not only to the most competitive or skilled, but also to all those who like to run from one side of a soccer field to the other, put the puck in the net or catch a fly ball. Recreational leagues should appeal to kids of all ages and extend into adulthood, including the golden years, with age-appropriate rules and plenty of opportunities for everyone to have fun while exercising.

The joy of sport and physical activity should never get old.