While fitness is often framed as a matter of motivation or time, experts say affordability is the real obstacle keeping many Canadians from staying active.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe number one reason people are not physically active enough is because they can\u2019t or don\u2019t believe that they can afford it,\u201d said Zach Weston, executive director of the Fitness Industry Council of Canada (FIC).<\/p>\n
Weston represents a national not-for-profit association representing Canada\u2019s fitness sector, which includes gyms, studios, and wellness facilities.<\/p>\n
According to industry data, roughly six to seven million Canadians \u2014 or 15 to 16 per cent of the population \u2014 belong to a fitness facility.<\/p>\n
A fitness affordability report cited by the FIC found that most Canadians who do not attend a fitness facility say cost is the number one reason, while lack of time ranked fourth.<\/p>\n
Despite the existence of budget gyms, Weston said perception and policy play a significant role.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t put tax on fruit and vegetables when you buy them at the grocery store, so we\u2019re incentivizing you to buy healthy food,\u201d Weston said. \u201cBut if you go to the gym or a fitness facility and you buy a membership \u2026 we\u2019re going to tax you when you do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The council estimated that reducing fitness costs by about 10 per cent could lead to up to 2.5 million more Canadians believing fitness is affordable, potentially saving the health care system at least $1 billion annually through improved long-term health outcomes if there\u2019s increased uptake.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, it seems hypocritical. Why do we tax behaviours that are healthy in one context but not in another? It seems inconsistent with our tax policy,\u201d Weston said.<\/p>\n
Fitness competitions: an expensive lifestyle<\/p>\n
Those cost pressures are felt even more in competitive fitness and bodybuilding.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople don\u2019t realize how expensive fitness can get once you start taking it seriously,\u201d said Sushant Thapa, head coach and owner of HT Athletic in Mississauga.<\/p>\n
Thapa, a competitive bodybuilder himself, said expenses quickly add up.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor bodybuilding, it\u2019s on another level,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have show registration fees, tanning, travel, photoshoots, posing sessions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thapa said socioeconomic factors can directly impact performance and outcomes in competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen athletes who couldn\u2019t afford proper physio or recovery treatments place last at their first show,\u201d he said. \u201cYears later, after saving up and getting that support, the same athlete placed second at Nationals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even outside competitive bodybuilding, Thapa said cost remains a barrier for everyday Canadians trying to live healthier lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cEating well costs more than fast food,\u201d he said. \u201cA good trainer costs money. Supplements, gym clothes, that all adds up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both Weston and Thapa agreed that awareness is no longer the issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cCanadians know they need to be physically active,\u201d Weston said. \u201c But knowing and doing are different.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thapa echoed that sentiment, especially for newcomers.<\/p>\n
\u201cFitness isn\u2019t just physical,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you\u2019re not emotionally and financially stable, it\u2019s very hard to stay consistent.\u201d<\/p>\n
For now, Weston said the FIC will continue to advocate for tax relief to make sure fitness is more accessible.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Thapa said he\u2019s finding ways to give back to the community by exploring the idea of sponsoring more athletes in the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While fitness is often framed as a matter of motivation or time, experts say affordability is the real…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":368895,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[49,48,407,84],"class_list":{"0":"post-368925","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-fitness","11":"tag-health"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=368925"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368925\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/368895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=368925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=368925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=368925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}