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Physical activity
increases energy levels, reduces stress, strengthens the heart and lungs,
and helps us achieve and maintain a healthy body
weight - all important aspects of a healthy lifestyle. Often
society does not encourage physical activity. To counter this,
both healthy individual choices and communities that support active
living options such as walking trails, bike paths, accessible public
transportation, and active community events are important.
Did You Know?
On February 21, 2003, Federal-Provincial/Territorial Ministers
responsible for physical activity, recreation and sport set a new
national target to increase physical activity by ten (10) percentage
points in each province and territory by the year 2010, in addition to
setting specific directions aimed a improving the health of Canadians
through regular physical activity, recreation and sport.
- Health
Canada's Physical Activity Guide advises that there are
three types of activities you need to do to keep your body healthy:
endurance activities, flexibility exercises and strength activities.
- Canada's
Physical Activity Guides for Children and Youth encourages
children and youth to build physical activity into their daily
routine which helps to create a pattern that may stay with them
for the rest of their lives.
- Canada's
Physical Activity Guide to Healthy Active Living for Older Adults
explains why and how older Canadians need to aim for 30 to 60
minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week
and provides practical advice for older Canadians on starting
and staying with a physically active lifestyle.
- Walking:
The Activity Of A Lifetime gives tips on how to start a
walking program and explains the benefits of walking and active
living.
- Active
Living at Work suggests the benefits of being active in
the workplace, summarizes the research that has been done, provides
some information about what works and how to get started, and
provides a template for practitioners to use in developing a
business case for active living in their own organizations.
 
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