Connected to your community
Walking the Talk According to the 2011 National Household Survey, 68% of Ottawa residents drive a vehicle to work. Every day, people use vehicles to get to work, school, run errands, visit friends, and to take children to recreational activities. Although vehicles can be a quick form of transportation, did you know that in urban areas, walking for a distance of 500 meters or less is usually faster than using the car – and it is free and good for you. Car-centered living robs us of the chance to include physical activity into our daily lives. Every year, each Canadian makes an average of 2,000 car trips of less than three kilometers. Imagine how much healthier we would be if these short trips were replaced with an active mode of transportation, such as walking or cycling! May is Physical Activity Month and throughout the month, Ottawa Public Health is challenging residents to get active every day. A simple way is to walk if you are headed somewhere
that is 2 km or less. A 2 km walk is equal to thirty minutes of physical activity. If you do this 5 times per week, you will meet the 150 minutes of activity recommended for adults Using active forms of transportation not only improves our health, it can also help reduce vehicle emissions which have negative environmental and health effects.
Please join us for the Ottawa Walking Day Celebration on Tuesday May 13, 2014 from 9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. at Ottawa City Hall located at 110 Laurier Avenue West. Bicycle parking is always free! There will be opportunities for networking, to listen to motivational speakers and to participate in guided walks along the canal. Register today! OttawaWalkingDay.Eventbrite.ca or for more information call: 613-580-6744 ext. 23514.
Ottawa Hospitals Keeping it Fresh Have you recently been to an Ottawa area hospital? Maybe you were a patient, visiting someone or even going in to work your shift? You may have noticed that the air you are breathing feels a little fresher! As members of the Smoke-Free Hospital Workgroup, local hospitals, including the Ottawa Hospital, The Queensway Carleton Hospital, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, The Royal, Hôpital Montfort, CHEO and Ottawa Public Health are partnering to support patients, visitors and staff who smoke. Each hospital campus has supports in place to help patients and staff quit smoking or curb their cravings. Patients, staff and visitors can take advantage of various services offered such as one-on-one
counselling, group support, workshops and access to quit smoking medications. Recently, the hospitals partnered up to support their staff by offering the Fresh Air Challenge to those who want to quit smoking, help a co-worker quit or who simply want to remain smokefree. Nearly 250 hospital employees across all local hospitals participated in the challenge. Whether you are curious and want to know more about the hospital’s policy, what services could benefit you, or where to go if you choose to smoke, the Smoke-Free Hospital Workgroup has answers to your questions. Visit Smokefree-Sansfumee.ca to learn more… because we all breathe the same air. Let’s keep it Fresh Ottawa! Follow us on Twitter @OttawaHealth
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Orléans News EMC - Thursday, May 1, 2014
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