There are many benefits to be obtained from regular physical activity. Not only will you look better and feel better about yourself, but you will also be contributing to the prevention of many health risks and diseases. A powerful statistic is:

"More people face the health risks from physical inactivity then smoking."
- College of Family Medicine, University of Saskatchewan

There has been an overwhelming amount of research that supports the many benefits of physical activity. We have categorized the benefits into areas we thought may be of interest to you. Just click on one of the headings below to find out the benefits of physical activity.

By being physically active you gain physical, social and emotional benefits. Specifically, you will notice1:

• Better health.^{2, 3}
• Better posture and balance.^{4, 5, 6}
• Better self esteem.⁷
• Stronger muscles and bones.⁸
• Reduced body fat.^{9, 10}
• Improved relaxation and reduced symptoms of depression.^{2, 11, 12}
• Continued independent living in later life.¹³

The health risks of not being active include¹:

• Premature death - 21,000 Canadian lives were lost prematurely in 1995 due to physical inactivity.¹⁴
• Heart disease^{15, 16}
• Obesity - 14% of 20- to 64-year-old males in Canada are considered obese. 12% of similar-aged females in Canada are obese.¹⁷
• High blood pressure - in 2000-2001, more than 3 million males and females aged 12 years and older had high blood pressure.¹⁸
• Type 2 diabetes - of the Canadian population which is 12 years and older, in 2000-2001 4.1% reported that they had been diagnosed with diabetes by a health professional.¹⁹
• Osteoporosis - in Canada, 16% of women aged 50 years and older have osteoporosis. The incidence is 7% is similar-aged men.²⁰
• Depression - physical inactivity in combination with asthma might contribute to greater stress perception and depression.²¹
• Stroke²²
• Colon cancer^{14, 23}

If we could decrease the level of physical inactivity by 10% nationally, we could save the health care system $150 million per year!¹⁴