The 1995 Physical Activity Monitor conducted by the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute shows that there are fewer inactive adults as we move from east to west. Adults in Alberta and British Columbia are the least likely to be physically inactive, whereas those living in Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, Quebec and New Brunswick are the most likely to be so.

This east-to-west trend in physical activity has been observed in other surveys such as the National Population Health Survey and had already been observed as far back as 1981, when the Institute conducted its first national survey of physical activity among Canadians.

Fortunately, all provinces managed to decrease their inactivity levels by about 15 to 25% since 1981:

• In Atlantic Canada and Quebec, inactivity decreased by 15% over 15 years.
• In Ontario, the level of inactivity is almost 20% lower than it was in 1981.
• In Western Canada, the level of physical inactivity decreased by just over 20% between 1981 and 1995.

How do we explain these provincial differences? Institute researchers ruled out differences based on education, age, occupation and income. No further research has been done yet to explain the variance, but they speculate that the mild winter climate enjoyed by Westerners, especially residents of British Columbia and even Albertans who benefit from the Chinook, may be more conducive to outdoor physical activity. In addition, differences in culture, knowledge of benefits, awareness of opportunities, barriers and incentives to be active might explain the lower levels of physical activity in the Atlantic provinces and Quebec.

In any case, close to two-thirds of Canadians in all provinces are not sufficiently active to benefit their health. This figure alone should be enough to sober anyone who might be too complacent. It clearly shows that most Canadians should heed the advice of Institute President, Cora Lynn Craig, to "look at what you're currently doing, and do a little more, every day."