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Steve Taylor, a family doctor, Brett Taylorand Duane Vaughan are embarking on a 10,000-kilometre journey topromote the benefits of exercise in preventing and minimizingdisability and death from cardiovascular disease.

Brett Taylor is taking the long cut to Dalhousie鈥攁10,000-kilometre route that goes first to Vancouver, then acrosscentral Canada, through Ontario, to Quebec and then the Maritimes.And, after that, he鈥檒l take the ferry to Newfoundland beforelooping back to Halifax.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to the extreme,鈥� admits Mr.Taylor, who is cycling across the country this summer with hisroommate Duane Vaughan and his father Steve Taylor. 鈥淏utbreaking out of the sedentary lifestyle is really easy todo.鈥�

Having just finished a master鈥檚 degree in history atMcMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., he knows all about asedentary lifestyle. During crunch time, the biggest workout a lotof students get is to and from the library.

The cross-Canada tour should bring him to Dal鈥檚 door justin time for the fall term; he鈥檚 been accepted toDalhousie鈥檚 Masters of Public Administration/Bachelor of Laws(MPA/LLB) program. By covering 100 kilometres a day, he expects hisjourney should take four months to complete, from May to the end ofAugust.

Once the trio decided this is how they鈥檇 spend the summer,they decided to hook up with the Heart & Stroke Foundation inorder to promote the benefits of exercise in preventing andminimizing disability and death from cardiovascular disease.

鈥淔or a sedentary person to get more active, it has theimpact of a smoker quitting smoking. It鈥檚 huge,鈥� saysMr. Taylor. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 fairly easy to do; just a fewhours spread over a week makes a huge difference. Something assilly as getting off the bus two stops early or taking the stairsor walking to the grocery store instead of driving. All that stuffadds up fast.鈥�

It's a matter of health

Research indicates Canadians are unaware that physicalinactivity is a serious risk factor for premature death, chronicdisease and disability. Almost half of Canadians (48 per cent) areinactive, which is a serious threat to their health and a burden onthe public health care system.

Moreover, 91 per cent of Canadian children and youth are notmeeting the guidelines of Canada鈥檚 Physical Activity Guidesfor Children and Youth, which state that children should beaccumulating 90 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physicalactivity in addition to incidental activities required for dailyliving. And yet, each weekday, Canadian children and youth areaveraging five to six hours of screen time, in front of a TV set orvideo-game console. In addition, between 1978 and 2004, the numberof overweight Canadian children doubled and, during the sameperiod, the incidence of obesity has tripled in both boys andgirls.

Their has all kinds of ideas for working activityinto your day and invites people to take an active-living pledge,from 鈥渞unning after the grandkids鈥� to rollerblading towork.

Exercise is fun

鈥淵ou hear the word 鈥榚xercise鈥� and your mindautomatically thinks 鈥榞oing to a gym and running on atreadmill,鈥欌�� says Mr. Taylor, 24. 鈥淏ut exercisedoesn鈥檛 have to be work鈥攜ou can play squash, kickaround a soccer ball, get out and play pond hockey. Do somethingneat and different.鈥�

The three cyclists have been training hard for their journey,although Mr. Taylor has a pretty good idea of what to expect,having cycled 3,000 kilometres between Germany and Romania in thesummer between his bachelor and master鈥檚 degrees.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a really great way to travel because you seeso much more than you would even in a car,鈥� he says.鈥淧lus, you stop; you meet people; you talk to people. When Ifinished, I thought I actually don鈥檛 know my own country thatwell, and that鈥檚 when this plan took shape.鈥�

They鈥檒l be documenting their journey on their website andtaking pledges for the Heart & Stroke Foundation. For moreinfo, check out: .