Yellowknife (Apr 22/05) - Selling physical fitness to kids is like persuading them to eat broccoli, says gym teacher Brian Marchand.

Contests can help, so Marchand registered Weledeh Catholic school in the Get Active NWT community challenge organized by the GNWT.

Students and staff at Weledeh are clocking every minute of physical activity and submitting it to the GNWT. Come summer, the four communities that are the most active will win $5,000 towards recreation equipment.

To pad out the total, Marchand has added extra activities for the last two months of school.

It doesn't matter what the activity it is, he says, as long as it's something fun to do and chock-full of fitness.

Reaching youngsters like those at Weledeh is important, says Ian Legaree, sport, recreation and youth director with Municipal and Community Affairs.

"Half the population doesn't get enough exercise to see the health benefits," says Legaree.

The NWT rate of 54 per cent of the population inactive is lower than the Canadian rate of 61 per cent, but it's still "abysmal,"says Legaree.

The increase in skidoos, ATV's and high- powered trucks in the North, combined with the dark and cold winters, makes it even harder for residents to fight the statistics, he says.

"Sometimes it's a matter of just motivating ourselves," he says, hence the creation of the Get Active NWT contest.

It is modelled on the successful Quit to Win contest that rewarded smokers who managed to quit with an exotic trip. Prizes will be handed out this summer.