Topic spans: 1968 - 2000
Getting Physical: Canada's Fitness Movement
In the 1970s, Canadians went from couch potatoes to super jocks. Well, not quite. But at least during that decade they did start to get up and get fit. It was thanks to nagging TV ads, the example of an active prime minister and embarrassment compared to some very robust Swedes. But the nagging hasn't been entirely successful. Thirty years later the average Canadian is still overweight and spends more time on the sofa than at the gym.
6 television clips
7 radio clips
Baby boomers' bad habits
Broadcast Date: Feb. 3, 1998
In 1998, kids eat poorly and their exercise habits are even worse. Teenagers in the mall would rather play video games than dunk a basketball. "Exercise? No exercise except for gym class," explains one teen in the arcade. Eating healthy is also out of the question. In this television news report, one mother says her kids won't eat the healthy dinners she prepares each night.And the Heart and Stroke Foundation has the proof in numbers: 80 per cent of Canadian children don't get enough fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, baby boomers' babies have learned these habits from their parents. The postwar generation watches too much TV and eats too many potato chips. Now Canadians are 20 per cent fatter than they were two decades ago, with half the nation classified as overweight.
Baby boomers' bad habits
• Compared to other nations, Canadians consume among the highest number of daily calories. The country's average daily intake was 2,921 calories in 2001. A active man should eat approximately 2,500 calories a day. For women, it's about 1,800.• A 2001 Ipsos-Reid poll discovered almost half the country supported a "fat tax" on unhealthy foods like pop, chips and Big Macs. Canadians surveyed also said kids should be taught physical education and nutrition.
• Americans already charge a fat tax. Tax on soft drinks bought in California, New York and Texas rakes in $600 million annually.
• Arkansas charges two cents on each can of pop to finance health insurance for the poor.
• A hidden fat tax is already charged on Canadian junk food. Provincial governments slap sales tax on snacks, while grocery store foods like fruit and dairy products are tax-exempt.
• The 2001 poll found Quebeckers were most in favour of a fat tax. Alberta, one of the country's most fit provinces, was the least in favour.
• A 1993 study by the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute discovered Atlantic Canadians and Quebeckers exercise the least.
• The most active Canadians are more often young professionals who are single and educated. People in the West are more active than those in the East.
Baby boomers' bad habits
Medium: Television
Program: The National
Broadcast Date: Feb. 3, 1998
Guest(s): Lance Levy, Monica Martinez
Reporter: Lynne Robson
Duration: 1:20
Last updated:
March 7, 2003
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13 clips in this topic . page
Television
7:03
A fitness expert demonstrates some easy exercises to help women stay fit and trim after the holidays.
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Baby boomers' bad habits.
The CBC Digital Archives Website.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Last updated: March 7, 2003.
[Page consulted on Feb. 11, 2012.]