Raising the bar for children

Not to put a damper on seasonal celebrations, but did you realize our sedentary lifestyle is killing us — especially our youth?

Report Card on Active living, released in May 2012, assigned an F to Canadian children for active play for the seventh straight year. More than $10 billion a year is spent on obesity-related health-care issues.

Cardel Place’s recent On Your Mark speakers event held Nov. 16 was an sold-out success and provided much-needed information on healthy lifestyles — and not so healthy ones.

The event was part of Cardel Place’s Raise The Bar campaign-a five-part strategy to help children and youth realize their personal bests when it comes to physical activity and health.

The event featured keynote speakers Dr. Mark Tremblay, director of the Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group at the CHEO Research Institute in Ottawa, and Mark Tewksbury, Canada’s 2012 Summer Olympic Games chef du mission and Olympic gold medallist.

Others in attendance are pictured at right.