With 13 million Canadians spending half their waking lives at work, Ottawa says it's vital to find ways of increasing physical activity at and around the workplace. While he wouldn't advocate a gym in every workplace, he said companies should look at making time available for employees to exercise, or even altering work patterns so people get to move around more. People are often so busy with work or looking after their families, they don't always have time to exercise, he said, which is why it's crucial for companies to play a role. But even small changes, such as taking the stairs or walking in the evenings and on weekends, is beneficial, he said. In 1997, the country's health ministers set a target of 2003 for reducing inactivity by a modest 10 per cent.
Figures suggest there has been some improvement and that public awareness campaigns are helping.
But more needs to be done, Rock said. It means a real change in the lifestyles of a lot of Canadians. Click Here to make suggestions, comments about C-Health.