Officially, winter doesn't begin until December 20th and with any luck, it won't feel like it until then, but typically we do get our first few flakes of snow just after Halloween. For all intents and purposes, many traditional northern winter activities are in full swing by this time including our national pastime, hockey.

Let's break down how we Canucks like to spend our time, stave off the blues and burn off those Christmas buffets:

1. Outdoor activities (Walking, skiing, skating etc)
2. Canadian winter sports (Hockey, curling etc)
3. Fitness club memberships
4. Home gym exercise (treadmill, elliptical, weights etc)

Canadian Outdoor Activities

Adults and kids alike up here don't mind bundling up for a good brisk walk, ski, sled or skate, especially when there's a warm beverage to look forward to after! According to the most recent data from 2021, 78% of Canadian households participated in some sort of regular outdoor activity within 10 minutes from home. What's less clear is exactly how much of that is during the colder months, but we do have a breakdown of how common different outdoor winter activities are, approximately speaking:

Skating: The most commonly reported, but we suspect not the most regularly practiced: 13% of households nationwide go for a skate at least once per season.

Tobogganing & sledding: 10% of households across the country found a hill to slide down (intentionally) in 2021.

Cross-Country skiing & snowshoeing: 9% on average across all provinces reported doing one of the two in 2021, with Quebec leading the way.

Walking: While it wasn't included in that particular study and snowmobiling paradoxically was, 69% of those surveyed by Trans Canada Trail in 2020 stated that they intended to use trails that winter. As the most accessible activity, and with so much breathtaking scenery to take in, it's safe to say a significant portion of Canadians get out for a stroll no matter the time of year - it's also a great couples or family activity, as well as those with canine companions. It's more fun to walk together!

Canadian Winter Sports

So, there's a little bit of crossover in what we'd classify as "sports" vs "outdoor activities". For example, skiing. With that in mind, Statistics Canada says that over one in four Canadians age 15 or older regularly participated in sports in 2016, with hockey at the top of the list. This includes team and individual sports activities such as skiing or snowboarding.

Ice hockey, broomball, curling: 6% of Canadian households participated in one of these in 2021. Surprisingly low numbers, given hockey's status in Canada. Perhaps just as surprising, Prince Edward Island topped the list at 10% participating in one of the above.

Skiing, snowboarding & telemark: 6% of households reported participating, with Albertans and those outside metropolitan areas edging out the rest at 8%.

Some other numbers: Roughly 86% play recreationally while 14% are competitive.

Men are nearly twice as likely as women to participate, and men born outside Canada more likely than those born in the country. Interestingly, with women the opposite holds true: locally born women are more likely than foreign born women to participate in sports.

Fitness Club Memberships

Before 2020, there were approximately 13,500 public gyms across Canada.

The Covid-19 pandemic had a marked effect on the public gym attendance of Canadians and really, people worldwide. According to some estimates, over 40% of Canadian facilities closed during the pandemic, with heavy restrictions on those which remained open. 

The situation is slowly stabilizing, but attendance is still only around 90% of what it was pre-pandemic. This isn't stopping new facilities from opening across Canada however, as people seek more options and to find an atmosphere which matches their lifestyle and approach to fitness.

Home Gym Exercise

It's hard to find data on exactly how many are working out at home post-pandemic as habits somewhat return to normal. According to a 2022 StatCan article "The grand reopening of the home gym", home gym equipment sales rose by 42.5% in 2020. However, in 2024, public gyms have been seeing a resurgence.

According to our own observations, Canadians like having the flexibility that owning a few staple pieces of equipment provides. Everyone has their own preferences and requirements, but it's quite typical to see a cardio piece such as a folding treadmill together with a strength set such as dumbbells or squat stands, bench and barbell.

With 75% of Canadians claiming that time is the biggest thing getting in the way of working out on a regular basis, this is a smart move, as it removes a lot of barriers including weather, time and travel costs - especially during winter, when everything tends to be slightly more challenging.

General trends in the fitness of Canadians

According to a November 2021 article published by Statistics Canada, the general fitness levels of adult Canadians have been on the decline since the 1980s in measurements such as BMI, waist circumference, heartrate, flexibility, strength and jumping performance.

While there has been a bit of a tapering off in the 2010s (and we don't yet have data post-Covid), the situation is unlikely to have improved much.

A 2007 study published by Can J Public Health found that among 20,197 Canadians aged 19 years and older, 64% were inactive during winter as compared with 49% in the summer, and leisure-time physical activity was 86% more likely in the summer than winter

Together, these studies highlight the need to explore new ways to improve the fitness levels of Canada's population. 

What can we learn from this?

The problem with the surveys and studies being performed is really a lack of thoroughness, as they often lack key data. What constitutes a "household"? Who among the people in that household are involved in the activity? It could be one person, or several. It could be a child, or an adult. We don't really know. How often do said households perform these activities? Daily? Weekly? Once per season? These are significant differences.

Let's dive a little into general trends, though. On the one hand, there is some reason to believe Canadians in general are clueing in to the importance of regular activity for both their physical and mental health and well being. Some of this may be better education efforts, some may be a wakeup call caused by all the attention drawn to these matters by the events of the last few years.

Is it going to be enough to reverse general societal trends? What are the reasons for those underlying declines? It's almost certainly multifaceted and complex. Incentive to rely on heavily processed foods, increased time on digital devices, economic factors and more are all factors which still exist and still contribute to our health as well as when, where and how we choose to be active. 

Fewer Canadians are choosing to send their kids into sports such as hockey because of increasing costs for necessary equipment, travel etc. Likewise, spending on "non-essentials" is reined in with the exception of leisure and entertainment and therefore, pricey memberships or fitness equipment may be first to fall when tightening our wallets. It's not that Canadians don't want to work out, they are just looking for more affordable (and perhaps enjoyable) ways to do it.

It's true that there has always to an extent in the general population been a stigma surrounding exercise, and perhaps more especially in winter we have a biological predisposition which must be overcome. It's not always perceived as "fun" to shred fat or build muscle, even if we in theory enjoy the results. The emergence of entertainment based consoles, gamifying of fitness or even social influencers have helped, but the core issue has probably always been and will always continue to be the attitudes we adopt, usually at a younger age, and finding our personal motivations on an individual level, since fitness is not a one-size-fits-all subject.

To that end, it is AKFIT's goal to provide personal consultation whenever possible for Canadians looking to change their trajectory. Whether you're an individual looking to improve your personal fitness or a representative of a new or existing fitness facility, we invite you to contact us today with an idea of what you want to achieve. We'll provide you with solid advice on appropriate equipment and/or strategies based on your needs and budget.

Together, we can get Canada moving toward a brighter, more fit future!