Date of publication: Thursday 1 January 2026

Ottawa Public Health: Move, Sleep, and Socialize Your Way to Better Health

Chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancers are the leading cause of disease and death in Ottawa. The good news is we can all do things to help prevent them. Regular physical activity is one of the main things we can do to help prevent chronic diseases and improve our physical and mental health and well-being.

How Much Physical Activity Should I be Doing?

For most of us, the simplest answer is more. The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines have excellent recommendations for how much we should be moving, sleeping, and sitting. OPH created a Move-Sleep-Socialize postcard to help simplify these guidelines for youth, but the principles apply to everyone. When trying to fit in more movement-related behaviours, we recommend keeping it simple:

  • Move
    • Be active every day. More is generally better.
    • Do activities you enjoy.
    • Go outside.
    • Sit less.
  • Sleep
    • Sleep lots at night.
    • Don’t bring your phone into your bedroom.
    • Be consistent with your bed and wake-up times.
  • Socialize
    • Be social with family and friends in person.
    • Unplug and take regular breaks from your phone.

Tips to Be More Active

  • For all ages
    • Go outside and start moving. Walk around the block. Go to a local park. Walk around a mall. You don’t need a plan. Put on weather-appropriate clothes and go.
    • Black Ottawa Connect has the Let’s Move program that creates a safe space for members of the Black community to enjoy fitness activities. This initiative is designed to honor and reflect the community’s experiences while promoting health and connection through fitness.  
    • BlackFit offers a 12-week aerobic program, 12-week resistance training program, and dance videos to follow along.
    • The Ottawa Public Library offers free passes for members to go cross-country skiing or attend many of the museums in Ottawa.
    • The Ottawa Outdoor Gear Library lends outdoor equipment to members for free.
    • The City of Ottawa provides physical activity programming and spaces, including free options and options to sign-up for paid programming through Register Ottawa.
  • For parents/guardians and youth
  • For older adults

Financial Support

  • KidSport Ottawa provides grants to help cover the costs of sports registration fees for youth aged 18 and under. 
  • Jumpstart offers financial help to get kids into a sport or physical activity. 
  • Hand in Hand – Some residents of Ottawa are eligible to apply for this subsidy for recreation and culture programming. 

To learn more, check out Ottawa Public Health’s Physical Activity webpage.

Joe Reid, BA Kin, MPH, is a Physical Activity Specialist with Ottawa Public Health/Santé publique Ottawa.