The National 'Fit for Life, Fit for Duty' Conference

The Police Fitness Personnel of Ontario (PFPO), the Ontario Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (OASES), Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and CCHALW (the Council) held the first ever "Fit for Life, Fit for Duty" conference on October 20-22, 2004.
The conference was open to delegates from across Canada who are involved in the promotion of active living at their respective facility or service, including:

• Law enforcement personnel;
• Fitness consultants, practitioners and trainers;
• Employee wellness consultants; and
• Individuals interested in improving their health.

The conference allowed both the partners and participants to share resources and knowledge from the field, as well as to meet others interested in the development of a certification program specifically aimed at workplace health promotion and active living professionals.

Conference delegates were able to choose sessions from three different tracks:

• Occupational fitness;
• Workplace health and wellness; or
• General fitness issues and research.

Breakout sessions provided opportunities for networking and facilitated discussions between practitioners to heighten their understanding of the relationships between physical activity and a range of other health behaviours.

In particular, two sessions were devoted to the interrelationship of healthy eating and physical activity, which is the first area of emphasis of the Pan-Canadian Healthy Living Strategy.

The unique risks of physical inactivity were also highlighted in several sessions, with attention paid to target populations present within the workforce. Delegates were able to gain both an awareness and understanding of the risks and effective interventions that can counteract and increase physical activity in various settings.