Use it or Lose it!
Investing in physical literacy as a foundation for lifelong health
We’ve all heard the saying “use it or lose it”. We nod along, assuming we know exactly what it means, stay active, work out, keep moving. And in many ways, that’s true. But when it comes to physical literacy, most of us think we understand it… until we stop and really consider what it actually looks like in everyday life.
Physical literacy isn’t about running faster, lifting heavier, or excelling at a particular sport. It’s about the small, often invisible movements that allow us to move through the world safely and confidently. Hopping over a puddle without hesitation. Catching yourself when you lose your balance. Navigating uneven ground on a trail. These micro-movements rely on coordination, balance, strength, and awareness, and they aren’t automatic. They’re skills that need to be learned, practiced, refined, and not taken for granted.
Drew Mitchell is the CEO of Sport for Life, a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving sport and physical activity by promoting physical literacy. Drew works with governments, schools, recreation, and sports organizations to ensure people of all ages and abilities have access to inclusive, positive movement and sport opportunities throughout their lives.
As our lives become more sedentary and our environments more predictable, we use these skills less, and we lose them faster. Everyday activities carry greater risk. Independence shrinks. Injuries become more likely. Physical literacy isn’t a “nice to have”, it’s a vital pillar of health that quietly determines how well we move, adapt, and age.
The first thing we learn in school are the basics – for literacy it is the A, B, C’s, and for numeracy it is the 1, 2, 3’s. Physical literacy is comprised of the basics that allow a person to move confidently and safely. Fundamental movement skills, hopping, skipping, balance, coordination, agility. Learning and practicing these basics is vital.
Drew Mitchell
Supporting this kind of foundational health is central to Thrive Okanagan, a donor-funded KGH Foundation initiative focused on prevention-based solutions to mental health and wellbeing challenges. By bringing community leaders together around one collaborative table, Thrive Okanagan works to break down silos, identify shared priorities, and support work already happening across our region.
This work is being done through facilitation and convening by a Community Catalyst.
One of the priorities identified by the Thrive community is the declining physical literacy of children. A combination of factors, including reduced outdoor play, limited school program funding, time constraints on parents and educators, and the rising cost of extracurricular activities, has contributed to a steady erosion of basic movement skills at a young age.
As conversations deepened and momentum grew, it became clear that Thrive Okanagan needed to take the next step. The result was the formation of a Physical Literacy Working Group, focused on co-designing practical strategies to integrate movement and play into everyday settings such as schools, parks, workplaces, and beyond.
Now, the Physical Literacy Working Group meets regularly to identify gaps and co-create solutions to introduce these skills early in life, with a clear goal: to build a generation of physical literate adults who are healthier, more confident movers who are less likely to rely on hospital care later in life. Drew has been highly involved with this Working Group.
“To develop physical literacy you must be taught the skills. You have to learn the skills, and you have to practice the skills. Right now, we’re not teaching enough, we’re not learning enough, and we’re definitely not practicing enough. And because of that, we have a population that lacks confidence in how they move.”
The work is already gaining traction. The group is moving from discussion to strategy, and from strategy to real-world solutions. With multiple organizations aligning their efforts, the impact becomes collective, like ships steering in the same direction, creating waves together. By working differently, prioritizing inclusion, and focusing on accessibility, this collaboration has the potential to create meaningful, lasting impact for our community’s young people.
When we prioritize physical literacy, we don’t just support movement, we strengthen the foundation of community health. This is prevention in action, and it brings us closer to a future where better health begins long before someone ever walks through the doors of a hospital.
