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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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