Overcoming common barriers to getting active. :: Healthy Lifestyles and Natural Weight Loss Information

Overcoming common barriers to getting active
by author Katherine Janson

Most of us agree that we need to be more physically active—for our hearts, our health, and our happiness. But when it comes to actually putting one foot in front of the other, research tells us that that we’re not walking the talk. Over half of Canadians are considered inactive.

Sometimes the reasons people cite for being inactive are just excuses, but research also tells us that there are barriers to physical activity that many of us face across the country.

“If we understand the common barriers to getting more active, we can understand how best to overcome them,” says Kelly Murumets, President and CEO of ParticipACTION, the national voice of physical activity and sport participation in Canada. “At the end of the day, we don’t need to reinvent ourselves—we just need to find ways to move more.”

Here are some commonly cited barriers to getting enough physical activity and some simple suggestions for surmounting them:

Lack of time

Canada’s Physical Activity Guides recommend 60 minutes of physical activity a day for adults, and 90 minutes for kids. The great thing is, it doesn’t have to be done all at once! The small choices you make to get active, for at least 10 minutes at a time, can quickly add up to a healthier lifestyle. Walking or wheeling to and from the bus stop each day, taking the stairs, or doing laps in the arena stands at your child’s hockey game are all quick ways to fit more activity into your daily life.

Lack of energy

Being sedentary has been linked to a higher rate of excessive daytime tiredness, and physical activity promotes better sleep. If you’re sitting for long periods of time at work or home, try getting up every hour to take a stretch or a stroll.

Lack of skill

You don’t have to be a jock to be active. Gardening, yoga, dancing socially, and even cleaning out the garage can get your muscles working. If you’re not sure about trying something new, take a beginner’s class at your local community centre, or experiment with something non-competitive, like walking.

Lack of interest/motivation

Getting active with a friend can give you excellent motivation. Research shows that social support is positively associated with increased physical activity—and it can be lots of fun!

Fear of injury

If you’re taking on an activity like cycling, hockey, or skiing, you need to wear a helmet. Make sure the helmet has a label to say that it meets certain safety standards, make sure you get a helmet that is appropriate for your sport or activity, and make sure you wear it.

Cost

You don’t need to join a gym or purchase expensive equipment to be active. Active transportation—such as walking, wheeling, blading, skating, or pushing a stroller—is almost free, and can be worked into your daily routine without a membership fee.

Katherine Janson is the PR and Communications Manager at ParticipACTION.

Source: alive Web Exclusive, November 2009

An Exercise in Activity
"Eating alone is not enough for health. There must be exercise . . . If there is any deficiency in food or exercise, the body will fall sick." Hippocrates--500 BC We do it everyday in trains, planes and automobiles..

Exercise
While picking up your child from a soccer practice at the local park you might notice a group of adults of varying ages skipping in the parking lot.

Be Your Own Personal Trainer
The first step in training is determining which of the three stages of intensity meets your goals and commitment level. These stages are activity, exercise or athleticism.

Move it or Lose it
As baby-boomers approach retirement, the medical system in Canada is expecting a large increase in usage. Unless our aging population rediscovers physical activity, this could be an accurate prediction.

Snowboarding
Winter is definitely here. While some people moan and groan about the winter months and lack of opportunity for exercise, others find the snowy months feed their needs in many ways.

The Joy of Snowshoeing
Snowshoeing is often overlooked among more glamorous and high-profile snow sports, like skiing and snowboardin.

Skate Your Way To Better Health
As with any other sport, warming up for skating is crucial to preventing injuries. Most of the power comes from your thighs and buttocks, so it's essential to make sure they're stretched and ready to go.

Exercise for Speedy Recovery
If patients do not participate in some form of exercise, their ability to function suffer.

Vertical Dance
The thrill of rock climbing has become my passion. A five-foot female, I once thought climbing was for large males. But brute strength is not a prerequisite. Anyone can climb.

An Ocean Retreat at Any Age
I learned to sea kayak in 1996 when I was in my late fifties. It's not that difficult!My partner David was an experienced kayaker but I first joined him when we bought a large second-hand double sea kayak.

Kayaking 101
Kayaking is one of the fastest growing water sports. It can be peaceful and meditative on still water or exhilarating and exciting on white water. Either way, there are a few basics to consider.

The Holistic Gym Bag
In order to have a truly holistic approach to getting in shape at the gym, you'll need a gym bag that's in tip top shape as well. With these natural toiletry items and remedies, you will be ready to kick some butt.

Head for the Hills
Carve a slice out of life with a day of intense snowboarding. Within a few brief minutes on the slope you'll experience a feeling of exhilaration and the intense physicality of this snowbound sport..

Weekend Fitness
Tackle your favourite activities without becoming a casualty! The setting might be different, but the story stays the same: You've just gone through a relatively inactive winter, and at the first sign of summer you jump back into your favou.

Hot Ways to Break a Sweat
Call them fitness crazes. Call them trends. It really doesn't matter so long as people are trying them, sticking to them and getting something out of them.

Not Getting the Results You Want?
Ask a fitness professional. Check out some fitness Web sites. Each has a different list of the most common mistakes made by people who exercise-but some of the same mistakes seem to pop up on almost every lis.

Exercise As Preventive Medicine
You can either choose to become a statistic or start to take an active role in preventing killer diseases and increasing longevit.

Fitting in Holiday Fitness
How many of us have a difficult time of fitting some form of physical activity into our daily routine? During hectic times like Christmas, many of us simply give up without a fight, cutting back on our fitness routines because of the demands of the.

Fitness the Family Way
Whether working inside or outside the home, many parents find it extremely challenging to find time for fitness. Every day they are trying to "do it all"-put time in at work, prepare nutritious meals, spend quality time as a family and transport children here, there and everywhere.

Not in the Mood?
Something holds us back from exercising. The problem is not usually a lack of desire, but often the way we approach physical activity.

Movement
If we could bottle the benefits of physical exercise, we would have one of the most powerful anti-aging remedies known. Physical activity rejuvenates virtually every organ in your body, adding energy to your days and years to your life.

Get Straight A's in Exercise
Anaerobic activities will increase your lean muscle mass, bone structure, strength, endurance and balance. Aerobic activities will decrease coronary disease, blood pressure, risk of diabetes, osteoporosis and some forms of cancer.

Building Your Exercise Routine
Building your exercise routine is like building a home. You begin by asking yourself what you want and then you develop a plan to attain that goa.

Are You Exercise Obsessed?
As many of us struggle to keep up with a regular fitness program for good health and a balanced lifestyle, there is a flipside to good intentions called "exercise addiction.

Exercise to Energize!
Your body is unlike any other machine in the world. Generally speaking, the more you use a machine the faster it will wear down. However, the more you use your body the more efficient it becomes and the longer (and better) it will work.

No Pain-Great Gain
Regular exercise is great for both mind and body and helps keep us youthful and energeti.

Fitness For Every Age
Perhaps the most important factor in a fitness program as we age is having enough energy to maintain an active lifestyle. Due to the wear and tear of a lifetime of not taking care of ourselves, however, we may experience an "energy crisis..

A Beginner's Guide to Getting Fit and Healthy
Bravo! You have made the commitment to get into shape. The "I don't want to exercise phase is over. Something inside of you has "clicked and you are ready to begin creating healthier habits.

Spinning
If the sweat is literally pouring off you and, creating a small puddle on the floor, chances are you are probably Spinning, Power Pacing, or participating in some sort of group cycling class. .

Take the Longer Road
We see stunning makeovers of average people on television and hear and read testimonials about the latest and greatest piece of equipment or program that transformed the regular Joe into a "chick magnet.

Ski Whiz
How many of us know someone who launched headlong into their first ski run of the season, only to arrive at the bottom of the mountain strapped to a stretcher, out of action for the rest of the winter? By spending littl.

A Cleansing Sweat
No doubt about it, exercise makes us sweat. Although uncomfortable to many, sweating is essential to our health. Perspiration helps the body stay cool despite the increased internal temperatures produced by exercise.

Digging for Gold at the Beach
Canadian Olympic hopeful Jody Holden charts his course to victory with a whole-food diet, exercise and rest.

Are You a Skinny, Fat Person?
Everyone admires the supermodel who "never works out" and "eats everything" yet still manages to look fabulous. Some of us even strive for her looks by following a diet of lattes and lettuce. What's surprising is that this beautiful, slim woman may actually have high body fat and the foundation for chronic disease.

The Path to Health
With the support of the president of Alive Publishing Group Inc., and the editor-in-chief of alive Magazine, Jacqueline (not her real name) agreed to be a case study subject for the pages of this magazine in a series of three monthly articles, 'so that others may be helped and inspired'.

Take It Outside
There is growing evidence of a paradigm shift in the fitness industry toward athletic-oriented training. Just as elite athletes train for performance, many people want a fitness program that delivers a body that moves well and allows them to enjoy a full range of activities while remaining injury free.

Rock Climbing
Rock climbing is an excellent sport to participate in to increase your level of fitness. If you have ever thought about giving rock climbing a try, start with an online search for a local indoor facility. Soon you'll be climbing the walls!

Row Yourself Fit
Whether rowing a boat merrily down the stream or pulling the oars at the local fitness centre, rowers engage in one of the best exercises around for aerobic conditioning and for increasing strength and flexibility.

Built Like a Greek God
Today, shifting values have forced younger generations of men to re-evaluate their masculinity and find a new respect for a well-groomed and chiselled physique. Sound diet and exercise are the foundations of good physique, but what may be more important is understanding that we are valued for what we do, not what we look like.

Out of the Boathouse
Derek Porter, Olympic medalist and world champion singles rowing star is drawn to the holistic nature of chiropractic. From his early rowing days at UVic, he realized the performance-enhancing benefits of regular treatments with the team chiropractor. A regular reader of alive magazine, Porter fully subscribes to a natural, organic lifestyle.

Give Your Walk Some WOW!
Bored with your walking regimen? Invigorate your step with Nordic walking poles, and you'll burn an average of 20 percent more calories than during a regular walk and get all the benefits of an upper body workout, with less stress on your knees. Walking with your poles as little as thirty minutes a day, three times a week, can help lower your blood pressure and reduce your cholesterol.

Three Phases of Fitness
If your goal is to build lean muscle mass, improve your strength, and define your body, then you have to train smarter, not harder. You can build a muscular physique naturally by following a phase-based approach: Foundation phase, Hypertrophy phase, and Firming phase.

Exercise for a Positive Mind Set
Regular exercise may be one of the best ways to enhance powerful mood-lifting brain chemicals that may work as natural antidepressants. It enhances overall brain function and helps to alleviate depression, one of the most common disorders of our time.

Sugar, Obesity, and Depression
In a study of adults with fructose intolerance, reducing dietary fructose resulted in a 65-percent reduction in depression scores in only four weeks. There is mounting evidence that obesity and depression share a close relationship. Regular exercise can make a world of difference for the depressed.

Beauty-Inside and Out
BeautyThere are healthy strategies that keep you feeling good, and the natural outcome of feeling good is looking good-no matter what your age. Eating well, exercising, and taking the right supplements help promote a healthy body-and a healthy look. Why not be beautiful inside and out?

Hard Bodies and Beautiful Bodies
Teens are bombarded daily with the message that image is all important. They are looking for the magic pill, a quick fix. TV, film, and popular magazines tell them it's available. Fortunately for them, there is no miracle overnight solution, but there are healthy ways that teens (and adults) can lose weight and build muscle.

Maintaining Fine Fettle...for Fun and Festivities
December's frenzied rush toward holiday preparations finds many of us overburdened with activities that waylay our well-established fitness regimens. We'd like to take a moment to remind you that some of those fitness routines can go a long way toward managing seasonal stresses.

Skiing on the Slopes of Health
Both cross-country and alpine skiing exude a physiological and psychological rush that allows you to temporarily escape from the stresses of the world. While skiing is a technical and physical recreational sport requiring concentration and skill, the beauty of the sport can be experienced by people of all ages.

Meaningful Makeovers
Our alive makeover series introduces you to two people, Rob and Toni, who are hoping to improve their lives from the inside out. No plastic surgery or new shoes; they're aiming for healthier diets and lifestyles. It'll involve hard work-no magic wands.

Ski Superstar Jennifer Heil
Jenn's natural approach to health has brought her body and her career to full bloom. Olympic gold medalist, Jennifer Heil discusses the secrets to her success.

Elevating Natural Health
Pierre Ménard is the founder and owner of La Boite Ã Grains, an award-winning natural health food store. "Ever since I was a child, Pierre explains, "I've had a mystical yearning to visit Africa. When I read in the newspaper that a charitable climbing expedition to Mount Kilimanjaro was looking for volunteers, I began to dream all over again.

Just for the Sport of It!
What better way to enhance beauty than through exercise? We polled some of our staff members about their favourite fitness activities and why they like them. Hopefully we've given you some ideas on ways to get out and get fit! "Tennis is my favourite activity mainly because it's fun.

A little means a lot

Mirror, mirror on the wall

Team work for your muscles

A little regret goes a long way

Moderate exercise pays off

Hydration for digestion

Breathe your way to better abs

Don't Blame the Season

Walking in a Winter Water-Land

How Do You Get to Work?

Change is Good

Know Your Snow

Breaking the Ice

Do It Yourself

Man's-and Woman's-Best Friend

Move Your Mood

Active Healing

An Apper for All

Imagine You're a Pretzel

Training Intensity for Older Males

Maximizing Growth Hormone Release

Active Living

Exercise Smarter-Not Harder-for Weight Loss

Why Do You Exercise?

Healthy Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is approaching and many of us are reviewing our options. How can we show that special someone how much we care? Why not make an active decision that takes fitness to heart.

A Hard Road Well-Travelled
Simon Whitfield has come a long way since winning the gold medal for men's triathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Now older and wiser but still a big kid at heart, Whitfield's passions extend into organic foods and sustainable living.

Become a Spiritual Warrior
Sometimes it takes a Hollywood stamp of approval before we decide to give a new workout a try. After endorsements from Madonna, Gwyneth, and Jennifer, Budokon, which draws upon the ancient art of yoga, made the cover of TIME magazine and is now a fast-growing fitness trend in the Western world.

alive's Meaningful Makeovers
Who hasn't dreamed of being made over-poof!-into someone thinner, stronger, more energetic, attractive, and self-confident?

From Pole Dancing to Gliding
When I first started personal training, the step workout was at its popularity peak, and the stability ball was a foreign object in the gym. Today, step is on the downward side of the fitness craze and you can find stability balls everywhere, from senior centres to corporate offices.

303, January 2008

Workout Clothes For Everywoman
There are two types of women who frequent gyms: those who wear oversized T-shirts and sweatpants that bag at the knee, and those who wear flattering, form-hugging workout gear.

BC's Plan for the Olympics
When the 2010 Winter Olympics come to British Columbia, not only will the Olympic athletes want to be faster, higher, and stronger but the provincial government wants all British Columbians to be leaner, fitter, smoke-free, and full of vegetables and fruit.

Start Fresh
The West Coast's heart health couple have a new book under their trim belts and it's inspiring people at midlife to get back to fitness and healthy eating. The message: burn at least 600 calories a day and eat lightly, but eat well.

Jully Black's Revival
If someone were to ask you to make a connection between hip-hop music and natural health, would your response be one of blank confusion? Well, here is a connection you may never have made.

Climbing the Walls
Have you been looking for a new and interesting way to test your fitness mettle? Perhaps you want to shake up your workout routine. Or maybe you're ready to overcome a fear of heights.

Taiko Fit
Depending on your culture, the beating of a drum can evoke powerful memories: a new harvest season, the joys of music class, or the days of playing in a live band. For some, beating a drum is a convenient, fun, and exhilarating way to get fit.

Work Those Hips
The human body is an intricate system of processes that work synergistically. Much like a work of art whose composition must be balanced to be pleasing to the eye, our muscles need to be in equilibrium to reach maximum potential.

Silken Laumann's Active Kids Movement
Where have all the children gone? That's what former Olympic rower and motivational speaker, Silken Laumann wondered when she took her children to the park. Kids weren't playing road hockey or riding bikes or playing all the fun games she recalled from her own childhood in Mississauga, Ontario.

Thrills on Horseback
Exactly how fit do you need to be to ride a horse? For anyone who has ever watched English riders in stretchy breeches and fitted jackets ride in unison with their horses or who has gaped at a horse and rider fly over a set of jumps the answer is-very.

Four Regular Guys (in Tuxedos)
A taxi pulls into the gravel parking lot of Calgary's Edworthy Park on a hot June afternoon. As children spin on the roundabout, four handsome young men in tuxedos wait to get into the cab. Although they're overdressed for this casual setting, Giorgio Armani would agree that his formal wear looks good anywhere.

Building a Health Reserve
Hoping to be a healthy elder? Then stock your health bank as faithfully as your financial one. Healthy aging requires preparation. This month's Research Watch discusses what you need to know to build up your health reserves for a long and healthy life.

Let the Happy Times Roll
Josh Jackson grew up with unusual nurseryrhymes: "Nuts and bolts, we've been screwed! Call the cops, we've been robbed! Jackson learned this song from his mother when he started bowling at age three. The song acknowledges a player who just knocked down all the pins except the corner one.

Falls and Fun
Kerplunk. It's a sound you will surely hear within moments of your first attempt at windsurfing.

Goodbye Treadmill, Hello Waves
Every morning millions of wave worshippers around the world wake at sunrise to scout the ocean-searching for that perfect break, for that ultimate rush, for the chance to become one with the awesome power of the sea.

The Spectrum
Dean Ornish is a high-profile name where alternative medicine is concerned. A 30-year veteran of North America's controversial diet wars, Ornish is consistently lauded by the scientific community for his work in reversing heart disease and other illnesses through dietary and lifestyle changes.

Cheap Winter Thrills
With the bracing chill of winter in the air and several inches of inviting fresh powder on your local ski hill, global warming may seem like a distant memory. Unfortunately, cashing in your paycheque for shiny new winter sports equipment won't stop those polar ice caps from melting.

New Year's Workout
Change is one of those words that often evokes powerful emotions, both scary and exciting, all at once. Change can mean different things to different people, but come New Year's, the number-one change that most people try to implement in their lives is better health and fitness.

This Might Save Your Life
"I'm going to call an ambulance, I told my patient, a woman in her early 50s. She knew that something was wrong, but I knew she wasn't convinced that her symptoms were serious. Most women, and many men, aren't aware of the more subtle signs of a heart attack.

Varicose Veins
I was sitting and chatting with my friend Tania, when she suddenly interrupted me. "You shouldn't sit like that you know, she said, pointing at my crossed legs. "You're going to give yourself varicose veins.

Let’s Talk About SEX...
We can talk about sex, but with increased rates of low libido, are people actually “doing it”?

Roll Safely
The sun is shining and the kids run outside to play. They joyfully grab their bikes, scooters, skateboards, or in-line skates without a care in the world, and they’re off. Kids are so excited about moving that they don’t think about staying safe.

Get Active!
Here is a simple guide to help you get and stay on the exercise track so that you can reap the many benefits of physical activity.

Vacation Without the Spread
Vacations are often a time to kick back, soak up the rays, and unfortunately, sometimes gain weight. When you’re on a tropical cruise or frolicking between cafés in Provence, it’s much too easy to forget about your commitment to a healthy lifestyle and just give in to your new surroundings.

Man alive—and kicking!
While we may be able to point out our Achilles tendon, we may not know where our Achilles heel is. A slight vulnerability—an inflexible shoulder or bad posture at our desk—could lead to injury. The key to prevention, and to successful recovery, is identifying our weaknesses and accepting that none of us is invincible.

30 days to a new you
One month may seem like a short amount of time, but there’s much you can do for your health in just four short weeks. Take 30 days to change your life—and improve your health—by trying something new.