February’s here, meaning it’s officially time to shower your heart with some extra love – not just because of Valentine’s Day but also since it’s Heart Month in Canada. Consider it your yearly reminder to check in on your ticker and make lifestyle changes to improve your heart health and lower your risk of cardiovascular disease. Did you know that nearly 3.5 million people in Canada live with heart disease or stroke, and nine in ten have at least one risk factor?
How making room to move benefits your heart
Luckily, around 80% of premature heart disease and stroke is preventable, and regular physical activity is one key way to prevent both and lower your risk of other chronic heart-related health conditions like high blood pressure, coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes. But how do you ensure you’re getting the right amount and type of physical activity to support and improve your heart health?
The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) – movement that raises your heart rate and makes you breathe harder than if you were sitting at rest. According to our 2025 Report Card on Physical Activity for Adults, only 46% of adults living in Canada meet this guideline.
Regular MVPA strengthens your heart, enhancing its ability to pump blood into your lungs and throughout the rest of your body. This means more blood flows to your muscles and your blood oxygen levels increase, which is essential to making sure that the rest of your organs work properly. Tiny blood vessels called capillaries also widen, letting them deliver more oxygen to your body and remove more waste products.
Improve your heart health with these 5 easy activities
Now that you know some key facts about heart health and its link to physical activity, why not use that as motivation to make room to move for your heart? Here are some simple, heart-healthy activities to try this Heart Month and beyond:
1. Follow along with our online guided cardio workouts
From our Cardio Boxing-inspired Workout to our Peripheral Heart Action Workout, our website hosts many cardio exercise videos to help you get your heart pumping. We also have a blog post sharing heart-healthy exercises you could perform at home.
2. Dance to enhance your heart health
Dance is a great form of aerobic exercise that gets your heart pumping and blood flowing. It can help boost your cardiovascular health by improving your lung capacity, boosting your endurance and lowering your risk of heart disease. So, bust a move to your favourite tunes solo or with your partner, family members, friends or roommates. You could also follow along with one of our many dance workout videos, like our Hip Hop Rocks Workout or Introduction to Adult Ballet.
3. Use active transportation to get from point A to B
Heading to work, school, the grocery store, the pharmacy or an appointment? If possible, try walking/wheeling, cycling, rollerblading or skateboarding to get there, even if it’s just for part of the way. If you have to drive, park far from the entrance of your destination so you have to walk/wheel the rest of the way – every bit of movement counts! For more trusty tips to help you make active transportation part of your routine, check out this blog post.
4. Clean to your heart’s content
Yes, you read that right – household chores like scrubbing, dusting, sweeping, mopping and vacuuming can all raise your heart rate and improve your heart health. To discover other surprising ways that cleaning can boost your overall health and wellness, read this blog post.
5. Tackle chores outdoors
Shoveling snow, salting the driveway or sidewalk, doing yard work or taking out the garbage, recycling or compost can all add up to improve your heart health. To earn extra active minutes (not to mention good karma), help your neighbours with their outdoor chores – they (and your heart) will thank you!
Looking after your heart doesn’t have to mean completely changing your lifestyle. Whether you’re dancing in your kitchen, walking/wheeling to work, tackling chores or following along with an online workout, making room to move will help strengthen and improve your heart health.
