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Almost a third of Canadians don't exercise enough: poll

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One in three Canadians is "completely shunning" exercise, a survey has found.

According to a Research Co. poll 28 per cent of the population has never achieved the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines, which recommends two-and-a-half hours of moderate to vigorous exercise per week.

And that number has increased since the pandemic.

"Prior to the pandemic, only 23 per cent of Canadians — and 34 per cent of those aged 55 and over — never met the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines," Research Co. president Mario Canseco said in a media release. "In the past three months, the proportion has risen to 28 per cent across the country and to 39 per cent among the oldest adults."

READ MORE: Majority of Canadians surveyed want the spanking of children banned

The survey found that 49 per cent of Canadians said they met the recommended exercise guidelines "every week" or "most weeks," but prior to the start of the pandemic that number was 55 per cent.

During the pandemic, 29 per cent said they followed workouts online, and 18 per cent bought weightlifting equipment. A further 17 per cent took up a sport that did not require equipment, such as running or jogging, and 16  per cent splashed out on a cardio machine.

And age has a lot to do with the amount of exercise people do.

READ MORE: Majority of B.C. residents reject return to COVID restrictions: survey

In the 18-to-34 age group, 75 per cent made sure they exercised during the pandemic, while only 57 per cent of 35-to-54-year-old did.

That number dropped to 30 per cent of those aged 55 and over.

While roughly half the population says they manage to hit the recommended exercise guidelines weekly, Statistics Canada data from 2018 shows that 63 per cent of the population is overweight, with 27 per cent being classified as obese.


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