Get fit, Canada!

Necessarily eye-catching cover for horrendously torturous activities (kidding).

ParticipACTION was/is a big thing here. There were ParticipACTION (that's how they like to write it online) ads on TV all the time. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've seen one in a long, long time! Seems like maybe it started dying off TV-wise in the 90s, but I could be wrong.

Nice gatefold, and hey, a free calculator! ;)

There's a nice vibrant booklet, too, outlining the various suggested activities for people to try.

I got these patches for participation in the [mandatory for students] Canada Fitness Award Program in the mid-80s. I don't think it was affiliated with ParticipACTION, but just a similar thing at the same time. Thinking back to how I wasn't into sports whatsoever at the time, and thus had no technique and whatnot, getting two silvers was pretty decent. I was in fairly good shape back then, and I rode my bike a ton, but running and jumping stuff wasn't my bag. Always felt pointless, like dancing. Haha. There were four medal/patch levels; bronze, silver, gold and a red one for excellence. Not many kids got a red one.

The Results section from the above link is tellingly negative, and I can see why. Most kids were active to some degree, especially 30 years ago, but to do a ton of fitness activities in the span of a day was tough, probably discouraging for many, and I don't believe one day of extra exertion would really show overall fitness level. It's kinda like when I was in high school and the gym teacher would make us do one day of weighlifting a week. (or less, on average) That's fine for people that do it on a regular basis, but it was just miserable for those who didn't. *shrug*