In 2013, one in five kids aged 12-17 reported a height and weight which classified them as either overweight or obese, according to a survey conducted by Statistics Canada.

Obviously there’s no single factor to blame for the astonishing rise in childhood obesity over the last 10 years: the rise of the technological age, poor knowledge/habits around food, and what we’re going to talk about today, confusion over just exactly how much exercise is required to create healthy, vibrant, energetic kids.

The Squat Challenge is back!

This month’s Wellness Group Challenge is to sit in the bottom of a full squat for time every day.

On the 1st (today!) you’ll squat for 1 minute, on the 2nd two minutes, etc… all the way to the June 30th when we want to challenge you to stay in the bottom of a full squat for 30 minutes.

Let’s say you wanted to lose weight and improve your overall fitness, what would be your first step?

My guess is it would involve dusting off your old runners, hitting the treadmill (or stationary bike, stair-master etc) for 45-60min 3-5x/wk.  After all, keeping your heart rate in the ‘fat burning zone’ is a sure-bet to quick weight loss and strong ‘cardio’… right?

What if I told you that spending hours pounding the pavement each week isn’t the best strategy to get lean, strong and fit?

In fact, it can be downright dangerous.