It costs $67 billion a year to run the Canadian health care system, and costs are forever increasing. We can no longer afford that. Some take the grim view of advocating cuts in services. We take a more uplifting view and advocate healthier lifestyles.

If our society was healthier, it would not depend as much on the health care system. Of course, some diseases are hereditary and cannot be circumvented. However, our lifestyles are well under our control and we can do something about them.

By taking a mini-vacation for example. Vacations are meant to renew ourselves mentally and physically. Why wait until those three meagre weeks a year to do that? Enjoy a mini-vacation every day, for about half an hour: be active! Dance, lift weights, bicycle, walk the dog, stretch — just enjoy your body in motion. About 11 million Canadians find that physical activity helps them feel better mentally and physically.

More than a decade ago, about 25 per cent of Canadians were considered physically active. In a study funded by Fitness Canada and the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, economist Louise Wood calculated how much money could have been saved if, instead, 75 per cent of Canadians had been physically active. Considering only one type of heart disease (ischemic heart disease), Ms. Wood estimated that we could have saved $750 million (1986 dollars) in treatment costs alone every year since then. That adds up to more than $9 billion over 12 years.

Add to that the costs of all other aches and diseases that could have been prevented by regular physical activity. Then include all the other costs incurred in addition to treatment costs (absenteeism, for example). Still not enough? Consider two other lifestyle habits that can be modified: smoking and indulging in high-fat diets. Add the savings from changing these habits as well and... the numbers can be staggering indeed!

Is health a luxury or a necessity? What about smoking, remaining sedentary and eating high-fat meals? Perhaps our health care system would be more affordable if it did just that: caring for health, instead of curing preventable diseases.