anada faces a critical challenge: only 49% of adults and 39% of children meet the recommended physical activity guidelines. This inactivity has far-reaching consequences, from increasing the risk of chronic diseases, anxiety, stress, and depression to economic burdens like absenteeism and higher healthcare costs. It also exacerbates environmental issues such as higher greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Despite efforts to improve physical and mental health inside fitness facilities, the overall trend in Canada remains stagnant, with little progress over the past three decades.
In November, Fitness Industry Council of Canada was invited as one of Canada’s leading voices in physical activity to come together in Ottawa for an incredible 2-days summit. The central mission was to put forth a collective idea to support ParticipACTION’s Change the Pace. This bold initiative would leverage a collective impact model to increase physical activity nationwide by a relative margin of 15% by 2030, which would mean 55% of Canadian adults and 45% of children would meet physical activity guidelines.
But can this ambitious goal be achieved, and what role can the fitness industry play?