Aaaarrrggggghhhhhh

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Yesterday, the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) and ParticipACTION unveiled a series of new physical activity recommendations to encourage Canadians to become more physically active.

And that’s good.

I am a big fan of health promotion / disease prevention.

Problem is… these recommendations are toothless.

They’re just talk.

What’s the point of setting new exercise guidelines if you don’t support them up with initiatives to convert those guidelines into actual physical activity?

• We already know that we “should” exercise
• We already know that we “should” eat healthier
• We already know that we’re fatter than ever
• We already know that our kids are fatter than ever
• We already know that we should reduce stress, sleep 8 hours, take our vitamins…

We already know this stuff

What we need is:

• Legislation & funding to re-introduce phys-ed classes into our schools
• A re-organization of gov’t food subsidies to improve our food supply
• A non-partisan discussion about applying “sin” taxes to junk food
• Marketing campaigns designed to promote a healthy lifestyle
• Tax credits designed to reward individual behaviors that promote health, prevent disease and reduce healthcare costs
• Tax credits for community fitness groups

And the only way we’re ever going to get what we need is to pressure/embarrass our politicians  into doing what we want.

sad but true

So, in that spirit, I am asking you to apply some pressure on your politicians by sending them an email (include a link to this article) asking telling them that we need to get serious about health promotion / disease prevention.

To make things a little easier, I am including a list of state/provincial government departments responsible for health promotion.

.

Canada

• Alberta Health & Wellness
• B.C. Healthy Living & Sport
• Manitoba Healthy Living
• New Brunswick Health
• Newfoundland Health
• Northwest Territories Health & Social Services
• Nova Scotia Health Promotion
• Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion (email link)
• PEI Health & Wellness
• Quebec Ministere de la Sante  et des Services sociaux
• Saskatchewan Health
• Yukon Health & Social Services

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United States of America

• List of U.S. Health Agencies

(apologies to my American friends, but there are just way too many states and I have clients to train)

More Resources:

• Can Big government Cure Obesity?
• Childhood Obesity: A Cruel Kindness
  
• Can Video Games Reverse Childhood Obesity?
• A BAN on Fast Food TV Advertising Would Reverse Childhood Obesity …
• A Spark of Hope in the Fight against Childhood Obesity | Health Habits
• America’s Obesity Epidemic costs $147 billion
• Too fat to be surgeon general?
  
• Having trouble sticking to your diet?
  
• Future Trends in Global Obesity
• How the Free Market makes you FAT and why “Big Food” likes it that way
• Obesity Drugs v.s Health Habits
• Nutritional Information on Restaurant Menus – Does it make any difference?

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