Many Hamilton residents are not active enough to maintain their health.
- 49% of Hamiltonians over the age of 12 are physically inactive (Canadian Community Health Survey, 2005).
- 57% of Canadian young people are so sedentary that it is harmful to their health (Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, 2002).
Hamilton is experiencing increases in obesity, asthma and falls and injury. These are warning signs that residents need to make changes in their lifestyle now!
Physical activity promotes overall health, weight control, healthy aging, and reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and injuries from falls. To gain these benefits,
- adults should work up to engaging in 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity at a moderate pace most days of the week;
- children and youth should work up to participating in 30 minutes of vigorous and 60 minutes of moderate physical activity daily.
(see Canada's Physical Activity Guides to Healthy Active Living for more information)
Research supports promoting walking as an entry level activity for sedentary people. Walking is a great first step for inactive people starting to become more active for several reasons.
- It's safe for most people
- It's easy on the joints
- You can walk almost everywhere
- It's free except for the price of comfortable shoes
- Almost everyone can do it.
