Motivation and Choice

My apologies for being away. I have been off enjoying the finer things in life- but not to worry I am back!

Today I would like to share with you a new program idea.

I met with a friend and colleague last week. We both had the same supervisor at school and both survived doing research in exercise physiology. Fun times!

My friend now works in a primary care network (PCN), working directly with patients who are referred to him by physicians.

As with all of our visits, the first hour is shop talk. He shared with me some new exciting things the PCN is doing, especially with the programs they are planning to offer. The program they want to implement, is to offer their patients a choice. Yes a choice! Let me explain.

They are planning for this program to be targeting patients who have weight management issues and/or type 2 diabetes. The patients who enter this program will go through introductory sessions on chronic disease management, with a focus on tools to help them with behaviour change (goal-setting, self-monitoring, etc). Once the patient completes these sessions they are given the option to have further assistance in either nutrition or physical activity. Of course, the patients can also get assistance in the other area they may not have initially chosen.

I think this is a great idea, which could be quite successful.

Motivation is a key aspect of changing behaviour. Providing patients a sense of autonomy (ie, a choice, sense that they have control) can be very helpful to maintain motivation.

I am very eager to hear about their program as it develops. I will also be curious to learn if the adherence to this program is better and of course the long term outcomes of their patients.

So, what do you think? Is offering choice useful? Have you seen programs do something similar? How can we give them a sense of autonomy and a sense of control to the people we work with?

Active Canada 20/20: Speak up now!

Last week I had the honour to help facilitate a consultation on the Active Canada 20/20 National Physical Activity Strategy at Alberta’s Action on Wellness Symposium. For those who may not be familiar with Active Canada 20/20, I would definitely encourage you to check out the website.

This strategy is being developed by a steering committee of organizations and stakeholders around the country who feel that Canada needs a physical activity strategy. Other countries have strategies (e.g., USA, Scotland) and we need one too.

The goal is to provide clear direction and vision on helping to increase physical activity opportunities and reducing sedentary behaviours. It is planned that this strategy will be presented to the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers responsible for physical activity in their jurisdiction in April 2012.

During the summer months there was an online survey to gather feedback on the Strategy. Now the steering committee is taking the consultation process further by hosting facilitated consultations in many of the provinces and territories. Alberta was fortunate enough to host the 3^rd consultation just last week in Banff.

As you might guess, the purpose to the consultation was to get some direct feedback from practitioners and decision makers in the physical activity field on the Active Canada 20/20 strategy. It was a very busy three hour facilitation process, but fantastic to hear all the ideas and suggestions that emerged.

By chance or luck, there was a large group of high school students who were able to participate. What a fantastic addition to the process! Even though some of the concepts being discussed were at a policy and organizational level, many of these students were able to provide clear and original suggestions.

Currently the Active Canada 20/20 is in draft format, so this is the perfect time for YOU to provide some feedback of your own. So, even if you did not make it to the consultation process, I encourage you to review the strategy and share your ideas and suggestions.

You can access the most current draft here: http://www.activecanada2020.ca/home/documents

And you can provide feedback to this email: info@activecanada2020.ca

The baby boomers are coming... are you ready?

“Canada is about to face an unprecedented era of population aging. From 8% fifty years ago, it is projected that Canadian seniors will comprise 23-25% of the population in 25 years time.” Health-promoting factors and good health among Canadians in mid to late life. July 2010 Statistics Canada

In the next two decades, a larger portion of our populations will be older. So what does this mean for those promoting health and physical activity?

Well, as many of us know, the “not-so-fun-side” to aging is typically experiencing more health issues. Heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis all seem to creep more readily into our lives as we age. In fact as we get older we are more likely to develop more than 1 health condition.

Physical activity can help to manage these health concerns and in some cases it may be able to prevent or delay the onset of health issues. Promoting physical activity and ensuring this generation remains active will be key to help maintaining the quality of life as this generation gets older.

So how do we get boomers active? As with any age group or segment of the population we need to learn how to adapt our efforts to best suit their needs, interest and maximize their engagement.

Good examples of things to consider:

* The word “seniors” may not be well received with the baby boomer generation. This generation has a tendency to see themselves as youthful. Plus, who wants to admit they are getting old!
* Many plan to still work in some capacity after they have retired. Or they simply see retirement as a phase of life to try something new or explore new interests. So the typical early morning classes may not work for this crowd.
* They likely have many family responsibilities. They may still have a parent that is living. They also may still provide support to their children.
* They have survived without the internet for decades, but most have embraced it.
* Often those in this generation are considered optimistic and proactive. Therefore, maintaining their health can be a big motivator for some people in this generation


Basically, we may need to rethink about the physical activity promotion and programs we offer.

Perhaps getting rid of the word “senior” in your program description, may help to make a class program or initiative more inviting.

Targeting the workplace may be a great way to engage many in this generation.

Examining multi-generational opportunities and promotional material, as this generation may want to do stuff with their parent, their kids and even their grand kids!

Using the concern for their health and the proactive nature of their generation, and to help motivate them to try a new physical activity.

Bottom line, is this generation will shape how we promote physical activity. We just need to be ready and willing to go along for the ride.

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.