Opinion: The fitness industry should be essential part of Canada's healthcare system
Written for Daily Hive by Sara Hodson, CEO of LIVE WELL Exercise Clinic and the President of the Fitness Industry Council of Canada.
The fitness industry needs to be an essential part of the Canadian health landscape moving forward, and reopening the doors in BC is the first step towards making that a reality.
On December 22, 2021, a shockwave reverberated across British Columbia when Dr. Bonnie Henry suddenly announced that the fitness industry would be shut down under a Provincial Health Order until the middle of January. Gyms had been preparing to have a big January – traditionally the busiest time of the year in the fitness industry, where new members join, and old members come back in droves. They had already invested millions of dollars in marketing campaigns to recoup huge losses incurred over 22 months of pandemic challenges.
British Columbians were excited for the New Year, too – for those who were already working out, it was a chance to set new goals and intentions; for those who had been sedentary – which, according to a recent report from Participaction, was 88 percent of the Canadian population – this was a chance to start again.
January 20 is the “New” New Year in the fitness industry in British Columbia now, thanks in large part due to the hard work of the Fitness Industry Council (FIC) of Canada.
On Tuesday, Dr. Bonnie Henry announced that gyms can reopen again, breathing new life into the fitness industry. Throughout the pandemic, the FIC advocated with solid data and sound minds that fitness is essential for our physical and mental health.
Although it is common knowledge that we need to exercise, it is more important than ever. All research shows that you need 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise for the prevention and treatment of illness and for mental health.
Here are five reasons why you need to get back to the gym today and why exercise should be an essential part of our healthcare.
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Exercise boosts immunity and makes vaccines more effective.
We have known for a long time that exercise boosts your immune system. Last year, a systemic review published in Sport Medicine looked at the effect of physical activity on our body and found that it not only strengthens the human immune system and reduces the risk of falling ill and dying of infectious disease by more than one-third, it also increases the effectiveness of vaccines. A person who is active is 50 percent more likely to have a higher antibody count after the vaccine than somebody who is not active.
Physical inactivity is tied to a severe COVID-19 outcome.
In a large-scale study published in the British Medical Journal, researchers found that consistently meeting physical activity guidelines was directly associated with a less severe COVID-19 outcome. Patients with COVID-19 who were consistently inactive during the two years preceding the pandemic were more likely to be admitted to hospital, to require intensive care and to die than patients who had been active.
Exercise helps us with pandemic anxiety
“Coronavirus Anxiety” became a common term at the beginning of the pandemic, and it hasn’t really gone away. Researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, ON studied this in March 2020 and found that exercise can help alleviate anxiety. Stress suppresses our immune system – but physical activity can counterbalance that.
A year later, the same researchers uncovered a “Pandemic Paradox” – that people know that they need to exercise to improve their mental health, but find it difficult to exercise due to stress and anxiety. This is why fitness professionals are essential – as they can guide someone who has been inactive back to an active lifestyle.
Exercise is a magic pill
“If exercise could be packed into a pill it would be the most widely prescribed medication in the world.” – Robert Butler, former director of the National Institute of Aging
To put it clinically, exercise is the most effective tool to prevent and treat chronic health conditions, such as heart disease, hypertension, obesity, Type 2 diabetes and many types of cancer. At LIVE WELL Exercise Clinic, my fitness franchise business, I have seen first hand the effect of only 10 minutes of exercise on blood sugar levels, as well as blood pressure readings in patients with hypertension. We have watched people suffering from depression not only get off the couch, but walk marathons. In Canada, we have launched the Prescription to Get Active, a program that partners Canadians with fitness providers – and the Fitness Industry Council of Canada found that more than half of Canadians are inspired to exercise if their doctor prescribes it. We need to get all Canadians to take the medicine of exercise!
Exercise will make you feel good again
It is no secret that the last 22 months have taken a toll on our mental health. Exercise releases endocannabinoids into the bloodstream, providing an immediate boost to our mental health. Research from the University of Nottingham showed that 15 minutes of strength training six days a week can trigger that “runners high,” reduce inflammation and also alter our gut microbiome.
We need to get back to the gym because we need to come together. Humans are social beings. We have spent nearly two years in fear, anxiety and isolation. We need to inspire each other to move again, and to come together again.
But we also need policy to change. We need leaders, like Dr. Bonnie Henry, who recognize that exercise, and particularly the fitness industry, are an essential part of our health recovery from COVID-19. The Fitness Industry Council of Canada is continuing to work with the province to provide financial incentives to British Columbians to buy gym memberships.
Let’s get back to fitness, British Columbia!