Premier Invites Nova Scotians to Lunch, Walk
SPORT/RECREATION COMMISSION--Premier Invites Nova Scotians to Lunch, Walk
Premier John Hamm is inviting Nova Scotians to join him this Wednesday, May 9, for a brown-bag lunch and a healthy noon-hour walk along the Halifax waterfront--all for the sake of physical fitness.
Nova Scotians can bring their lunches and join the premier at the Grand Parade. After lunch and a warm-up exercise, they will walk together along the 1.5-kilometre Hearts in Motion Waterfront Trail.
The lunch and walk will be an advance promotion for SummerActive, a six-week national and provincial campaign that begins two days later, on Friday, with Try It! day.
"The weather is improving, and a walk at lunchtime is one way to accumulate the 60 minutes of moderate physical activity we need every day," said Premier Hamm.
He encouraged Nova Scotians to participate in the Try It! day activities on Friday.
"I encourage Nova Scotians to find out what’s happening in their communities and have fun -- Try It!"
Joining the premier will be Sport and Recreation Minister Rodney MacDonald, Halifax Regional Municipality councillor Dawn Sloane and representatives from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Diabetes Society and the Nova Scotia Fitness Leaders Association.
Try It! events for Friday are being organized across Nova Scotia by municipalities; sport, recreation and fitness organizations; schools; universities; day cares and businesses.
One study has indicated that two-thirds of Canadians lead sedentary lifestyles. Physical inactivity is linked to heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, adult-onset diabetes, osteoporosis, stroke, depression and colon cancer.
The good news is that regular physical activity reduces the risk of these diseases while improving general health and fitness. Exercise strengthens muscles and bones, increases energy and helps people remain independent in later life.
SummerActive is just one way governments and other organizations are working to encourage Canadians to become more active. Nova Scotia’s target is to reduce physical inactivity by 10 per cent by 2003, creating substantial savings in health care costs.
To increase physical activity, particularly among children and youth, the government budgeted an additional $500,000 for the Nova Scotia Sport and Recreation Commission to develop a provincial strategy.
Information on SummerActive is available at its Web site:
http://www.summeractive.canoe.ca/