May 11, 20007 (Toronto, ON) — Residents of Ontario can boost their health and win prizes by participating in a trio of challenges as part of SummerActive, the province’s popular annual healthy living program.

Running from May 11th to June 21st, SummerActive promotes the benefits of physical activity and healthy living choices and creates opportunities for inactive people to take their first steps to become regularly active to achieve health benefits while having fun.

Supported by the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion and managed by Parks and Recreation Ontario, SummerActive 2007 includes three unique challenges to encourage Ontario communities, workplaces and schools to win prizes as they boost physical activity levels.

“The McGuinty government is investing in SummerActive as part of its commitment to a healthier Ontario through education about nutrition and physical activity,” said Health Promotion Minister Jim Watson. “Through this initiative we are creating opportunities for Ontarians to lead active, healthy lives.”

Cities and towns of all sizes are invited to enter the SummerActive Community Challenge by organizing a healthy living event and registering participation on the official website at www.summeractive.org. The community that has the most participation based on the percentage of its population will determine which community is named the most active in the province.

Schools with students in Grades 1 to 8 can receive a SummerActive School Challenge Poster for use in helping students achieve their 20 minutes of Daily Physical Activity (DPA) as a classroom or as part of a school-wide challenge. The Poster features a variety of activities that can be completed with limited equipment, indoors or outdoors, and by students with varying levels of experience or fitness.

Organizations that register a team in the Ontario Workplace Challenge will receive pedometers and walking guides to help them record the number of steps walked throughout the six-week SummerActive program.

Individual Ontarians are also eligible to win a variety of unique prizes by visiting www.summeractive.org and registering a SummerActive event they organized or recording their participation in an event.

Accessible by all Canadians, the SummerActive 2007 website features listings of “˜cool ideas and events’ that are searchable by province or territory along with unique approaches to warm weather activity.

The site allows Ontarians to download free tips and information about healthy living in the summer, with a focus on physical activity, healthy eating, living smoke-free, and the benefits of participating in sport. Many of the site’s resources are specifically applicable to various population groups, such as children and youth, parents and caregivers, seniors and Aboriginal Peoples.

Year after year, SummerActive and its counterpart WinterActive have proven very popular across Ontario, with hundreds of events and programs organized in communities, schools, workplaces, sport facilities and public health facilities.

SummerActive events provide Ontario residents with an opportunity to learn more about the benefits of regular physical activity, risks of sedentary living, and how healthy eating, avoiding tobacco and participating in sports can help improve their health.

Progress has been made in recent years to improve the physical activity levels of Canadians. For example, although the latest Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS 2002/03) shows that 51% of Canadian adults are still insufficiently active for optimal health benefits, the percentage of the population that is inactive has decreased by 11 percentage points (from 62% to 51%) over the period from 1994/5 to 2002/03.

According to the Canadian Fitness & Lifestyle Research Institute (CFLRI), British Columbia has the lowest rate of inactive residents at 42 percent, while Ontario sits at 52 percent and Prince Edward Island has the highest rate in the country at 59 percent.