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.

What are our messages???

So...
What do you think of these pictures?

How do they make you feel?

Who relates to them?

Why do we use them?

Should we be using them?

What is our message? Part 1

I am not sure about you, but I know I get annoyed when I see happy, thin, young women (usually with non-sweaty hair, non-red face and excellent make-up application) running on the treadmill, usually sporting the form fitting outfits that seem to be all the rage.

These images often make me feel inadequate, that there is something wrong with me and that I should be looking like them when I exercise. I feel this way and I like to be active... how do pictures like this sit with those who aren't active?????

Exercise has gotten a bad label... usually created through the horrors of archaic structured gym classes and other unsuccessful bouts into the fitness world. The unfortunate things is that the fitness industry in some ways continues this negative label.

TV advertisements, infomercials are often bombarded with very "fit " looking individuals. Often with wearing tight fitness clothing with excellent muscle definition (that would take years of dedication to achieve). They are often beautiful, young and in many cases Caucasian.

We also see these images in magazines, newspapers and yes even in our community programming.

How often have we heard (and in some cases felt) " I need to get in shape before I can go to the gym...." Is this the message we want people to have? Is that not the message we may be sending when we use similar images.

What if a person does not like the gym, or they fear treadmills, or the idea of weights is as boring as watching paint dry. What do these images mean to these folks?

My beef with these images is who do they speak to? Who do they represent? Who feels they can belong alongside those images? I for one don't. The speak to a small segment of the population, and definitely not to the parts of the population we want to reach.

When it comes to physical activity for our community members we need to look at differentiating ourselves from the fitness industry. Don't get me wrong. They offer a service and are of value- but to only some of our community. As leaders in this field and in our community we must be careful with our messaging. What are the images we use? Who do we want to reach? Can these people see themselves in the images we use?

Images are just a small part about messaging.. but they also attract attention. If a person can identify themselves in an image they are more likely to relate to the material being present. They feel more like they belong and they may perhaps are more inclined to consider the programs or services being offered. Which is important when we are trying to get people moving.

Now go out and enjoy some sunshine...I'll chat more about this later.
Angela

Glorious glorious paths

I was able to go back to my home town, Lethbridge for some holiday time. The unique thing about this visit was it not being rushed. Normally I am running around visiting people and then hustling back up to Edmonton.

The nice thing about taking the extra time is I got to explore some of the changes that have been happening in the city- especially in the area of town I grew up in as a teenager, which is the west end. For those of you familiar with Lethbridge you know the city is divided in half by the river valley, the west end being on one side and the rest of the city on the other.

When I was in high school and did not have my drivers license (and even after I got it too) I heavily relied on my bike to get me to my friends house. We would often bike to each other’s house, or bike to the university (we liked to pretend to be university students- bizarre I know). We would bike to get slurpes and bike down into the river valley and even all away across the big bridge to downtown. I have very fond memories of scooting along the streets and paths in the west end of Lethbridge.

So on one beautiful day, when I had not much planned I borrowed a bike and off I went to retrace some of my youth. First- I was shocked by how much the area I grew up in has grown. New schools, tons of new houses and shopping centers. I was sad to see the farmers fields replaced with cul-de-sacs and condos. I became fearful that my hometown has fallen into the trap of urban sprawl.

Those concerns aside my real reason for this blog today was to talk about the glorious path system I encountered on my bike ride. I was blown away with the trail system they have built for pedestrians, cyclist, dog walkers and skateboarders to use. It was one of the best bike rides I had gone on in a very long time. The trails kept going... and when needed allowed you to loop back… no cars to content with. Just smooth sailing for as long as I wanted. Wonderful.

Honestly a-round-of applause-goes to the Lethbridge planners for including this in their plans. The new paths seemed to play an integral part in the new neighborhoods, and well integrated with the paths I used when I was a kid. Not only did I hardly have to go near streets or have to stop at street lights, I got to enjoy some of the aesthetics that Lethbridge has to offer.

The one key thing I liked about the path system is the multiple entry/exit points to get on it. I also liked how it was wide and, for the most part, well paved. The fact I was able to go from the north end all the way to the south end with little disturbance made the trip a pure joy.

Paths like this don't happen. They take foresight and planning. It also takes a lot of work on those who are advocating for these kinds of changes. Planning for this type of infrastructure should always be mandatory with new communities. And expansion of path an trail systems should be part of the municipality's long term planning. So hats off to the folks in Lethbridge who made the path system happen in the west end.

What I don’t know is how well this system is on the other side of the river or even down in the river valley. Hmmm... perhaps something to look forward on my next visit home.

"I need to be motivated...."

Overall I think those of us in the physical activity field have done an okay job on creating awareness. Canadians are aware of the importance of physical activity. I am not even just guessing on this statement! Back in 2007, CFLRI conducted research and found that most of Canadians believe that there are benefits to being physically active. They also found Canadian’s attitudes about physical active to be positive. For example, 92% indicate that physical activity is pleasant. Pretty positive right?

So… If the majority of Canadians believe there are health benefits to being physically active and they view physical activity as positive- why are do we have low physical activity participation? It does make you stop and scratch you head.

Of course the answer is complex and laden with many issues and barriers. One key issue, I suspect, is motivation.

Ahhhh motivation... this fleeting entity that so many want but cannot find when it comes to physical activity.

In fact one of the most sited barriers to physical activity is lack of motivation. The same series of surveys done by CFLRI also found that the Canadians who are the least active report their top barrier is a lack of interest/motivation to being physically active.

Do I hear the word 'duh' coming from the crowd? This fact comes as no surprise to many folks who have been in the physical activity field. We hear about this all to often. So, as practitioners and community leaders, we often wonder how we can influence motivation. And in some cases, the people who want to influence also look to us to provide motivation as well. Yikes!

A little unfair isn't it? Especially since motivation appears to be a complex mystery to most of us. In fact, it is such complex huge issue there are in fact researchers who study motivation. A colleague of mine, here at Centre, is very familiar with the psychological side of physical activity and motivation. I encourage you to check out this link. She wrote this piece on our website about motivation and I think it’s excellent.

To summarize one of her points: There are different sources of motivation. Some come from within the person (internal) and some come from outside sources (external)... and often what really influences a person is a mix of both.

As well, what motivates a person will vary from person to person. What motivates me to drag my butt off the couch may not be what motivates you.

I suspect us practitioners may often focus on the external motivators when we are trying to influence others. This can be risky, as we may end up doing more damage than good. For example focusing on guilt and fear.

That being said, I don’t want to be a negative ninny about external motivation. In fact, in many cases it can help encourage someone to try a new activity out for the first time.

The important thing to keep in mind is that for an activity to stick and behaviour change to happen (i.e. being physically active regularly) the motivation has to primarily be internal.

So, what are we to do??

We need to keep in mind it is okay to provide some external motivation- initially. But we must recognize that for this behavior to stick, the folks we are working with, need to find the internal drive to continue.

Along the way we can provide them guidance to help them discover what their motivation is, and how they may in fact harness it. If you have time, check this article out on motivational interviewing.

We can also look at how we can shape our programs and the social and physical environments that people may experience. We know people like to have fun, socialize and feel safe. So lets make it that way for them.

Finally, we need to allow ourselves not to feel responsible for another persons' source of motivation. I know, I know- sometimes easier said than done.