Beyond workplace challenges

Lately my mind has been thinking about physical activity promotion in the workplace. So I thought I would write a little about it.

In order for workplaces to see success in physical activity promotion is by getting management buy in and support. Without management behind initiatives the ability to “change the culture” of the workplace will be lot harder.

Also, physical activity in the workplace does need to be more than simply an event or activity challenge. These events and activities are important plus can be a lot of fun and a great way to improve moral. But other initiatives (less exciting, unfortunately, than a 10,000 Steps challenge) need to take place if you want workplace to fully support physical activity.

For example, one level where change should be conducted is with the workplace policies. Long term changes and on- going support can occur if employers look to change or add policies and strategies that do promote physical activity. The nice thing about addressing policy changes is that both small to large companies are able to do this.

What might strategies, at a policy level, that promote physical activity look like? Well here are some examples for you taken from our Physical Activity @ Work website. I hope they can offer some inspiration.

·Offer flex time for physical activity. Invite employees who actively commute to work or exercise at lunch to make up any missed time later in the day.

·Allow staff to work part time, so that they can participate in physical activity.

·Include a physical activity account in your benefit plan to pay for or subsidize fitness memberships, assessments, classes, counseling or instruction.

·Provide interest-free loans for employees to buy bicycles or good walking shoes/runners.

·Recognize employees who participate in physical activity. Survey employees first to determine how they prefer to be recognized, e.g., through company newsletters, appreciation lunches, rewards and/or thank you notes.

·Provide child care and other family-friendly amenities during physical activities that occur after work.

·Avoid scheduling meetings over lunch.

·Encourage active breaks instead of coffee breaks.

·Have active fundraisers rather than bingos. For example, employees might climb the Calgary Tower stairs or take turns riding a stationary bike for 24 hours.

·Make birthday celebrations active times. Instead of a lunch, invite the birthday person to choose an activity. Options could include a session with a yoga instructor or an evening ski trip.

·Promote a casual dress day. One study found that employees who dress casually were more physically active.

Children's Fitness Tax Credit: improvements required

There has been a lot of talk about the Children's Fitness Tax Credit the last couple of weeks. All this talk has been spurred on by a recently published study which looked at this credit.

Dr. John Spence, from the University of Alberta, conducted this study which examined the awareness, uptake, and perceived effectiveness of this tax credit among Canadian Parents. He also looked to see how household income affected these results.

Among parents surveyed:

• 54.4 % said their child was enrolled in an organized physical activity program;
• 55.5% were aware of the Childrens' Fitness Tax Credit Program;
• 26.1% made claims for the tax credit in 2007,
• 33.1 % planned to do so in 2008.
• 15.6 % reported that it had increased their children’s participation in physical activity programs

The survey found that parents in the low income category were significantly less aware of the tax credit program, and less likely to claim the Children's Fitness Tax Credit when compared to other income groups.

Originally this tax credit was created by the federal government to help address the financial barrier to physical activity participation. However, this study confirms our intuitive assumption with a program like this. A tax credit is not really going to financially help the segment of the population who really needs it. In fact it will on serve to aid those that already have advantages.

A tax program, such as the Children's Fitness Tax credit will only benefit those who can actually afford to register their children in the program. For example, Dr. Spence reported that 63% of low income parents spent between 0-$100.00 on their child's registration. You compare this to the highest income group- and 76% spent more than $100.00 and 31% over $500. Disparity much??

An interesting side note: When this tax credit was first conceptualized, panels of experts were formed to provide feedback to the federal government. Many of those experts expressed concerns that the tax credit would not reach the segment of the population in most need. Basically they predicted what Dr. Spence's found. Now that there is actual research backing up these concerns, I hope the government listens to experts out there.

Dr. Spence- presented a couple recommendations in his paper... which I think the federal government should carefully consider:

1. Increasing awareness of the tax credit to low income families: as awareness of this tax credit was lowest in the low-income families targeted marketing to this segment of the population is needed.
2. Support Subsidy programs: The government should also support organization (municipalities and not-for profits) which offer subsides to low income families. A good example would be KidsSport Canada

As for us... community leaders... we need to speak up! Armed with this knowledge- and research backing us up- we need to start advocating to our Member of Parliament, that this tax credit needs to be improved and additional options for support should be explored.

After you have done that- get outside and go for a pleasant walk!

Dr. John Spence's paper: Spence JC, Holt NL, Dutove JK, & Carson V (2010). Uptake and effectiveness of the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit in Canada: the rich get richer. BMC public health, 10 PMID: 20565963

Plus size yoga

So I was chatting with a woman this weekend. We had a great conversation about yoga and fitness class. Why some are good and why others are not so good. Interestingly she mentioned she recently signed up for a Plus Size Yoga class, which was offered in a private studio.

I thought this kind of class was great… what a fantastic idea. Definitely the instructor is finding a niche and hopefully filling a need. But as with any class there is good and there is the bad. So bear with me as I discuss both.

I think a class like this is good for a couple of reasons:

1. Its unique- yah for the instructor to think outside the box!

2. Shows the instructor is willing to educate themselves to accommodate to this population groups.

3. It is reaching an important portion of the population. According to the statistics about 50% of the populations is either overweight or obese.

4. It is a place of belonging where those who consider themselves to be plus size can be active and feel more comfortable.

This woman emphasized how important it was to feel that she was safe there, not judged, and that the instructor understood the issues she faced. For many of us, regardless of our size, being physically active can make us feel vulnerable, uncomfortable and exposed- especially in classes. And for those who look physically different or even move differently , this can even be more of a negative expereince.

When you think about it… really it can be a courageous thing to start and stick with being active- especially if we feel very uncomfortable while doing it.

So kudos to the instructor who is willing to take a risk and offer a different class. Creating a place where people can come together to be active and feel that they belong.

Okay... but now I need to at least get you thinking about the bad:

In order to take this class, a person not only must identify themselves as plus size, but admit it to others as well. This in itself can be a barrier to participation and takes a certain amount of courage to overcome.

So as leaders, we need to be careful with how we label/name our programs. We may have all the great intentions in the world to reach out to different segments of the population… but if folks in the population group don’t like seeing themselves there- we may have an empty class.

Negativity aside, I think more programs like this should materialize. And I certainly hope this one is a hit. Thinking out side the norm when it comes to programs and opportunities in our community is key… especially when we want to reach everyone.