Question: What is the single best thing we can do for our health?

Answer: Get Active!

Physical Activity: The Best Medicine?

On December 1st 2011, the University of Toronto's Faculty of Physical Education & Health held their second in a series of free, expert-led, public discussions covering important topics in health, physical activity, and sport.

Entitled 'Physical Activity: The Best Medicine?', the evening kicked off with an introduction by Michelle Brownrigg which discussed a recently released United Nations report and reviewed some of the latest statistics on Canadians' troubling lack of adequate physical activity.

Following this introduction, two U of T researchers, Jack Goodman and Guy Faulkner, spoke separately about their latest research. Prof. Goodman presented research dispelling many of the myths surrounding sudden cardiac events and physical activity, namely among long-distance marathon runners. The chances of being struck by lightning are probably better than dying suddenly while exercising! He concluded that the benefits of physical activity far outweigh associated risks. Prof. Faulkner spoke about his research into the anti-depressive effects physical activity has shown to provide to patients in clinical trials. Not only can physical activity greatly improve your mental health, but it's great for your sex life too!

The panel answers audience questions.

Guest speaker and health reporter for the Globe & Mail, Andre Picard, finished the evening's presentations by discussing how the mainstream media has historically played a role in framing 'exercise' as being a torturous sacrifice instead of something that can be fun and easily incorporated into any daily routine. He also discussed how 'play' for children and young adults is co-opted by many organized team sports, turning physical activity from something natural, adventurous, and unstructured, into something monotonous and regimented.

The evening concluded with a moderated panel discussion which answered audience questions and a informal social event with food and plenty of Get Active Toronto Annual Reports for attendees to take home!

Be sure to check out a video of the event after the break!

Physical Activity: Some Barriers To Access

Every year, Get Active Toronto (GAT) releases its annual report on physical activity levels in Toronto. The report relies heavily on what are collectively known as the 'social determinants of health', or more simply, how a person's position within their community can be a strong indicator of future health outcomes.

Some general barriers to access to physical activity identified in the 2011 report include: convenience, programs available, safety, facilities, skill and ability, cost, information, and social support.

More importantly, GAT's annual report also attempts to identify the host of barriers people in underdeveloped, underprivileged, and at-risk communities face to securing access to physical activity in the city. To this end, the report developed what GAT refers to as Dimensions of Access; that is to say, the physical activity barriers that exist due to socio-economic conditions. These are: financial, public awareness/media, geography and time, socio-cultural, urban planning/transportation, and finally, employment/human resources.

By observing these Dimensions of Access GAT can allow organizations to see where their existing or potential initiatives will best fit; identify where the gaps between programs and people are occurring and/or focus on a specific adjustment with the hope of affecting the overall outcomes for Toronto.

Explanations of each of the Dimensions of Access can be found after the jump!