Get up, get active
How to walk away from a sedentary lifestyle.
By Staff
From sitting at a desk at school or work to sitting on the couch at home, our days aren’t filled with movement according to a 10-year survey by Statistics Canada.
The Canadian Health Measures Survey examined the physical activity of both children and adults and found Canadian adults are sedentary for over 9.5 hours per day, while children are sedentary for over eight hours a day.
According to an article in The Washington Post, sedentary behaviours like sitting and lying down for long periods of time can lead to poor health. Muscle degeneration, poor circulation, back problems and heart disease are a few of the health hazards connected with a sedentary lifestyle.
National non-profit organization ParticipACTION has the following tips for leading a more active lifestyle:
At work:
- Get a standing desk
- Organize your workspace so everything isn’t within arm’s reach
- Walk to a colleague instead of emailing them
- Lift weights at lunch
- Make your breaks walking breaks
With your kids:
- Scavenger hunt
- Play four-square
- Play follow the leader while on a walk (the leader decides how everyone will walk—like a monkey, kangaroo or bear and where the group will walk—across rocks, along low retaining walls or other low to the ground structures)
- Try dance-based video games
- Bike or walk to school instead of driving