Bridging the Health Care Gap Through Building Credibility and Relationships
The results are in: “Inactivity is costly, and exercise means big savings”. In a landmark global report on the impact of the health and fitness sector, the Health and Fitness Industry was proven to have a “profound” economic and social impact on countries all around the world. This report also showed that inactivity is costly, and exercise means substantial savings. While we have known that the fitness industry is essential in the health of Canadians, now there is extensive data to prove it. The findings from “The Economic Health and Societal Well-Being: Quantifying the Impact of the Global Health and Fitness Sector” were presented in June 2022 at IHRSA in Miami and again at the FIC State of the Fitness Industry session at canfitpro Global in 2022.
In Canada, inactivity costs the Canadian healthcare system $3.9 billion dollars. Productivity loss, due to lack of sufficient physical activity, was valued at $7.9 billion dollars annually. The report also concluded “there is a wealth of evidence that suggests fitness centers and gyms increase the quantity and quality of exercise people do. Facilitating access to gyms and other fitness centers increases exercise rates (IHRSA, 2022)”.
As Canada’s leading provider of fitness and wellness education and training since 1993, we have been a strong supporter of the FIC in their efforts to lobby for government support for the fitness industry during the pandemic and in the industry’s recovery. canfitpro set out to move the fitness industry in a new direction and attract more fitness professionals. Thirty years later canfitpro continues to serve and support the industry through its purpose: to inspire healthy living through fitness education.
Upskilling of fitness professionals via canfitpro’s education, training and certifications is available through one of canfitpro’s preferred education providers, this includes MedFit Network/Classroom. Partnering with Medfit Network/Classroom helps canfitpro provide medical fitness education and course certificate programs to canfitpro members. Partnering with the finest education organizations and medical fitness trainers and presenters provides us with the opportunity to provide “upskilling” and continuing education in medical fitness. No doubt this will continue to help move the fitness industry forward and increase the credibility of the fitness professional in the eyes of health care professionals.
With the demand for ”upskilling” ranking #4 on the 2023 Fitness Trends Report, canfitpro has allocated a diverse range of education workshops and lectures at the August Global Conference and Trade Show specifically in ‘Medical Fitness’—NEW this year!
One of the first steps in every fitness professional’s upskilling should be their annual renewal of CPR A (with AED training). This will equip you with the confidence to react effectively and efficiently in an emergency. In just a few hours you can learn invaluable lifesaving skills by taking one of canfitpro’s CPR & AED courses. Our courses were developed based on accepted and credible international standards. You can find and enroll in a training on canfitpro’s website here.
Another medical fitness partnership canfitpro has made is with Prescription to Get Active which is bridging important gaps through health care and primary care networks and fitness/recreational community partnerships. Through a unique process afforded by Prescription to Get Active, health prescribers (physicians and allied health care providers) are now able to write prescriptions for physical activity, encouraging their patients to seek services to support becoming more physically active as a part of their health care prescription. This is another reason fitness professionals need to be certified and remain relevant and competent to be able to work with this part of the population, which unfortunately is the large majority of Canadians today.
To bridge the gap in healthcare, fitness professionals must take personal responsibility for their ongoing professional development and lead with courage; the courage to reach out and build relationships with health care providers and invite opportunities to work collaboratively in the best interest of all Canadians.
