Injury, Safety and Obesity – Stats Canada releases Canadian Community Health Survey

Today Statistics Canada released its annual Canadian Community Health Survey and the results were very disappointing. Canadians are not only more obese than they were in 2008, but they are also getting injured more frequently when doing physical activity. Canadians are also risking more injury by not wearing a helmet when participating in sports such as cycling. According to the survey 46% of Canadians who cycle do not wear a helmet, even in provinces where there is helmet legislation, Ontario being the worse culprit, falling below the national average at 34% even though it is a province with helmet laws.

About 18% of Canadians aged 18 or older, or roughly 4.4 million people, were classified as obese in 2009, up from 15% in 2003. Despite government and nonprofit programs trying to alleviate this problem, it still persists and is growing worse.

Also this week the Canadian Institute of Wellbeing released two new reports on the well being of Canadians which found that time spent on leisure activities dropped from 15% in 1998 to 12% in 2005 and the proportion of Canadians experiencing high levels of time crunch grew from 16% in
1992 to 20% in 2005.

So how can these statistics improve so Canadians become more physically active and take better care of themselves, when they have less time to do it. The Honourable Roy J. Romanow, Chair of the Canadian Institute of Wellbeing Advisory Board states that "We need family-friendly policies for all workers and more community resources and supports for seniors. We need governments and public policies that support leisure and culture activities and venues - ensuring that equity and inclusion are overarching principles in our approach."

To read more about how you can maintain a balanced lifestyle and encourage employers to create more opportunities for physical activity and leisure see the articles below:

Bodies at Work: Everyone wins when employers provide health and fitness opportunities in the workplace.

The Work-Leisure Paradigm: The Stresses and Strains of Maintaining a Balanced Lifestyle. Lobo, Francis, World Leisure Journal 2006, Vol. 48 Issue 3, p22

Participation in recreational physical activity: why do socioeconomic groups differ? Burton, N.W.; Turrell, G.; Oldenburg, B., Health Education & Behavior Apr 2003: Vol. 30 Issue 2. p. 225-244

Over-scheduling your child and your family. Taylor, J., Ski Racing 6 Dec 2002: Vol. 35 Issue 6. p. 26

Beyond The Sugar Bowl

Some people do it every day without hesitation. They grab a soda from the fridge or convenience store. There is nothing like it to satiate a thirst. But did you ever stop to evaluate just how much sugar can be found in a regular soft drink? Companies that produce some of our favourite pop flavours report that a 355-millilitre can have as much as 39 grams of sugar, a whopping nine teaspoons. Can you even imagine putting nine teaspoons of sugar into one cup of coffee or tea?

Even though we have evolved to be such a health conscious society, news releases this week brought dramatic attention to a Statistics Canada report, stating the fact that Canadians still acquire about 20 per cent of their daily calories from sugar, and they consume on average 110 grams of sugar a day, the shocking equivalent of 26 teaspoons. While soft drinks might be the guiltiest party here, and teenagers are still the top sugar consumers peaking at 41 teaspoons daily, sugar does come from other sources.

The top five sources of sugar intake for Canadians age 9 to 18 are:

• Soft drinks: regular 14.3%
• Milk: 14.0%
• Fruit: 10.6%
• Confectionery: 10.3%
• Fruit juice: 9.1%

Sugar does come in all shapes and sizes, not just the sugar bowl. Whether it’s from our food pals fruit and milk, or it has been added to improve the taste in things like soft drinks, candy, salad dressings and syrup, the body handles naturally occurring and added sugars in the same way. The difference being that foods high in additional sugars are known to have lower nutrient densities, and therefore provide little nutritional value for the body. Foods with naturally occurring sugars tend to be higher in nutrients and of greater benefit to the body’s energy systems.

So next time you are making a decision to fuel your tank for your fitness routine, an active day, or picking a snack for your child’s lunch, try to stick to the natural sugars. They, along with other forms of glucose from carbohydrates, provide so much more efficiency in making the body go.

For more information on nutrition, please contact SIRC.

Walk yourself to better health

Modern society has made life very accessible for humans. We do not have to chase down animals in order to eat, and we have the luxury of travelling from one point to the other without ever having to walk. We can all attest that we are very thankful of modern inventions, which have made our lives much easier. However, with transportation that is readily accessible, we have neglected to do the simple things that humans were meant to do, like walking.

Walking helps reduce the chance of contracting heart disease. It lowers blood pressure, enhances your wellbeing and increases your bone density. Walking is not a complicated activity. A simple daily brisk walk can help you live a healthier life.

A study released by Statistics Canada in 2007 concluded that 48% of Canadians ages 12 and older walked less than 30 minutes each day. The study also found that in the period of a week, 10.8 million Canadians spent less than an hour walking to school, work or to do errands.

Walking is probably one of the least expensive exercises out there. It is not as strenuous as running, but moderate walking when done for a longer period of time can have similar health benefits to running. Walking is also a great way to be introduced to exercising, since there is low impact on joints. People who walk on a regular basis are much healthier than sedentary people.

Most walkers use time to measure their exercise. New research has shown that the farther you walk or run, the more you reduce the risk of contracting chronic diseases.

Tips to getting more distance out of your walk workout:

•  Measure your distance and not the time (find routes where you can cover 3, 5, 8, or 10 kilometres) 
• Increase the distance you cover as you improve your fitness 
• Include one long walk and one speedier walk each week 
• Quicken speed to gradually cover more ground 
• Warm up, cool down and stretch 
• Wear proper shoes, breathable clothing and socks 

For those who do not enjoy or have time to run or hit the gym, walking is a great option. Though it might take you a while to walk enough in order to gain the same health advantages which come from running, the benefits attained from walking will go a long way towards improving your health when compared to a sedentary individual.

References from the SIRC Collection:

1. A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF ECONOMIC LITERATURE EVALUATING THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF WALKING. Acta Universitatis Palackianae Olomucensis. Gymnica. September 2010;40(3):123. 
2. Bashir Z. Walk Your Way to Good Health. Parks & Recreation. June 2013;48(6):32-33. 
3. Epping J. Dog Ownership and Dog Walking to Promote Physical Activity and Health in Patients. Current Sports Medicine Reports (American College Of Sports Medicine). July 2011;10(4):224-227. 
4. Johnson S, Boulé N, Bell G, Bell R. Walking: a matter of quantity and quality physical activity for type 2 diabetes management. Applied Physiology, Nutrition & Metabolism. August 2008;33(4):797-801. 
5. Kelly P, Murphy M, Oja P, Murtagh E, Foster C. Estimates of the number of people in England who attain or exceed vigorous intensity exercise by walking at 3 mph. Journal Of Sports Sciences. December 2011;29(15):1629-1634. 
6. Luthi W, Schnitzer C. Transform walking into the highlight of each day. Functional U. March 2006;4(2):1-6. 
7. Morgan A, Tobar D, Snyder L. Walking Toward a New Me: The Impact of Prescribed Walking 10,000 Steps/Day on Physical and Psychological Well-Being. Journal Of Physical Activity & Health. May 2010;7(3):299-307.

Gardening is more than just a hobby!

Gardening is a great way to spend your days during the spring, summer and fall. Whether working in your own garden, taking care of flowerpots or tending a community garden, gardening can provide an excellent means of physical activity. It promotes socialization with neighbours and community members, and there is the added benefit of growing healthy and fresh foods.

Exercise is a great way to strengthen your bones, muscles, ameliorate your balance and improve or maintain your quality of life. The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that older adults should engage in 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity a week. Periods of physical activity can be broken into ten minute bouts.

According to Statistics Canada, 22% of men between the ages of 65-74 are physically active, while only 17% of women are active. This research also concluded that two-thirds of Canadians over the age of 75 are physically inactive due to poor health, disability or other limitations.

When seeking a physical activity, which you would like to participate in, try to choose something that is enjoyable and which can help improve your health.Gardening is a popular and worthwhile activity during the spring, summer and fall months. Gardening offers great benefits for mental and physical health by enabling you to build strength, endurance and flexibility. Below are some further advantages:

• Strength building – Activities that help build your muscles and bones. Lifting and carrying during gardening helps build strength. 
• Flexibility - Activities like stretching, bending and reaching that keep the joints moving. Improved flexibility helps minimize the risk of falling. 
• Endurance – Activities that make you breath deeper and make your heart beat faster. The activity should be at least 10 minutes at a time and should be performed at a moderate to vigorous intensity. This helps reduce the risk of injuries and excessive fatigue. 

Gardening is definitely a hobby that enables one to benefit through exercise. It is a great way to get your family involved and help relieve stress. It reconnects you with nature, beautiful sights and different smells. Gardening gives you a sense of accomplishment since you are planning, being active and probably producing your own fresh vegetables and herbs.

References from the SIRC Collection:

1. Gardening: an exercise that bears fruit in more ways than one. Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter. June 2000;18(4):3.

2. Gardening for Good Health. American Fitness. July 1999;17(4):8.

3 .Haley C, Andel R. Correlates of Physical Activity Participation in Community-Dwelling Older Adults. Journal Of Aging & Physical Activity. October 2010;18(4):375-389.

4. Kerrigan J. Gardening With the Elderly. Functional U. May 2006;4(3):7-9.

5. O'Mathúna D. Spending More Leisure Time Physically Active Can Add Years to Your Life. Integrative Medicine Alert. January 2013;16(1):6-8.

6. Ryan P. Minutes to motivate exercise. Functional U. March 2011;9(2):14-17.

7. Tuo-Yu C, Janke M. Gardening as a Potential Activity to Reduce Falls in Older Adults. Journal Of Aging & Physical Activity. January 2012;20(1):15-31.