14 Feb 2011
Physical activity and its importance to our health has been in the news lately. New Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for children, youth, adults and older adults were released in January, while in February – Heart Month – a new report warned Canadians that their lives are being cut short by heart disease related to inactivity.
Physical activity is absolutely vital to good health. It is key to reducing the risk of chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer and especially heart disease. Heart disease is a major cause of death and illness across Canada and in Simcoe Muskoka was responsible for more than 7,000 or 34 per cent of all deaths in the combined years of 2000 to 2005.
Risk factors for heart disease include smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, and not following the healthy eating recommendations in Canada’s Food Guide. All of these factors are “modifiable”, that is, we can make changes in our lives that will reduce our risk of heart disease.
One of the simplest risk factors to change, and one that can have a positive impact on other risk factors, like high blood pressure and obesity, is regular physical activity. The new Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that children and youth (5 to 17 years) need at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity daily. Adults (18 to 64 years) need at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, in bouts of 10 minutes or more.
However, according to the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) only 15 per cent of Canadian adults are reaching the new guidelines of 150 minutes per week and only seven per cent of children and youth are reaching the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity a day.
There are many reasons why we aren’t getting the physical activity we need for good health. At a personal level, work, commuting, school, family and social commitments and extracurricular activities all combine for busy lives, and as a result, physical activity is not one of our top priorities. However, how we live our lives individually is impacted by the social and economic environment around us. At the societal level, opportunities for physical activity depend on income, employment and working conditions, and the neighbourhood and municipality in which we live.
Sometimes the thought of getting regular activity can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated. All it takes is 30 to 60 minutes of brisk daily walking.
Build regular activity into your day by picking a set time – early morning, lunchtime or after dinner, for a walk. Get a friend to join you to keep you motivated, walk to work, or start a walking club at work. If you need a goal for motivation, consider training for a charity walk. Get involved in local initiatives that get people more active such as Mayor’s Walks, Active and Safe Routes to School, or commuter challenges.
Finding ways to be physically active for trips to work, school or shopping is an easy way to get the physical activity you need. Whether you walk, cycle, roller blade or skateboard, active transportation is a great way to build activity into your day, save on transportation costs and spare the air as well.
If it’s not easy to incorporate active transportation into your day because your community does not have the paths and sidewalks necessary for walking and biking, consider advocating for changes that will make activity easier to achieve. Let your community leaders know that you appreciate positive changes.
At home, turn the television off and have your family join you for a tour around the block. When children see their parents being active it sets a great example and as a result, they will be more likely to develop a lifelong active lifestyle.
To learn more about getting active and your health, call Your Health Connection, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520 or check www.simcoemuskokahealth.org.
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Dr. Gardner is Simcoe Muskoka’s Medical Officer of Health.
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