Physical Activity

Canada’s Physical Activity News

A Message from the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health

Helping Canadians make healthy choices, reducing health inequalities, and funding innovative projects are all part of the Government of Canada’s action to promote healthy lifestyles and environments and address the root causes of disease. As part of this, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) would like to update its stakeholders, as well as interested members of the public, on the status of Canada’s physical activity guidelines.

Healthy Living – It’s for Life!

Canadians have a role to play by adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes eating well, staying active and maintaining a healthy weight. Healthy lifestyles promote growth and development in young people, fight disease and make all Canadians stronger and more energetic. Healthy living can also prolong the independence of older Canadians.

Updating the Evidence

In 2007, PHAC provided funding to the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) to produce a series of scientific papers examining advances in exercise science.

In 2008-09, CSEP (funded by PHAC) updated seven of these papers and organized an international consensus conference with physical activity experts to review the evidence and to report the results of the conference to PHAC.

PHAC is grateful to CSEP for its contribution to the comprehensive research the federal government will use in developing new national physical activity guidelines (anticipated release 2011). The in-person and on-line consultations that will take place in fall 2010 are the next important step in moving to new physical activity guidelines.

Canada's Physical Activity Guides are no longer being distributed by the Public Health Agency of Canada. Canadians are encouraged to consult this website as new tools and resources are developed to align with the new recommendations. To obtain the new physical activity guidelines please visit CSEP’s website.

Taking the Pulse

Starting on September 20, 2010, PHAC will hold a series of in-person and on-line consultations with healthy living stakeholders across Canada. Consultation with these stakeholders will inform the development of revised physical activity guidelines and will lead to the development of tools/resources to help engage and motivate Canadians.
We will be consulting those who promote physical activity by delivering information directly to Canadians, developing and implementing physical activity programs, and developing physical activity policy at the national, provincial, regional or community levels.

For comments or inquiries related to this bulletin or to PHAC’s consultations, please contact:

Public Health Agency of Canada
130 Colonnade Road
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9
Email: healthyliving.viesaine@phac-aspc.gc.ca