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Kelowna  

BC likes to stay active

British Columbians have long held the title of healthiest Canadians and according to a new Ipsos Reid Poll, that trend is continuing.

The study, conducted partnership with the Canadian Sporting Goods Association, interviewed over 16,500 households about their current fitness participation levels.

It found that BC households remain the most active, with 86 per cent of all households engaging in some form of fitness or sports activity.

According to the study, eight-in-ten Canadian households nationally have at least one person who engages in a fitness or sports activity with Quebecers the least likely to participate, with 77 per cent of their province engaged in a fitness or sports activity.

A recent study by Stats Canada corroborated those healthy BC numbers, finding that three out of the six fittest cities in the country were in BC.

In fact, of those top six, Kelowna ranked as the 'fittest' city in the entire country.

The new study from Ipsos also breaks down how Canadians like to exercise and it varies greatly between provinces.

Overall, the top three fitness and sports activities nationally include walking for exercise (46%), exercising at home with equipment (24%), and cycling/biking (24%).

However, when looked at by region, participation fluctuates. While walking for exercise is most popular in Manitoba and Saskatchewan (55%) and B.C. (56%), it is less so in Quebec (36%).

Additionally, three-in-ten Prairie households exercise at home with equipment, compared with only one-in-five in Quebec. And whereas nearly one-in-five B.C. households participate in swimming, only one-in-ten in Quebec do so.

Despite the seemingly high number of physical participation numbers in BC, at 86 per cent, the obesity epidemic continues to grow in this country with numbers showing one in four Canadians are obese.

A number that has risen 17.5 per cent since 2003.



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