The calendar has officially flipped to February, which means it’s time to chat about the heart – and not the delicious chocolate kind. It’s Heart Month in Canada, the perfect opportunity to think about how you can improve your heart health and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Far too many people in Canada are feeling the impacts of not moving enough, with research showing higher rates of cardiovascular events among those with low levels of physical activity and fitness.
What does the science tell us?
Heart disease is a very serious issue affecting millions of people in Canada every day. Did you know that there are nearly 3.5 million people in Canada currently living with heart disease or stroke? Or that every five minutes, someone in Canada loses their life to one of these conditions?
80% of premature heart disease and stroke is preventable, especially by making movement a part of your everyday. People who are more active and less sedentary have drastically reduced risk of the following chronic heart-related health conditions:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Stroke
- High blood pressure
- Coronary artery disease
Bottom line: you need to move to support and improve your heart health — it’s that simple. But how do you make sure you’re getting the right amount and type of physical activity to properly support and improve your heart health?
All movement counts, from dancing to housework, and all those small instances of movement can add up and work to keep you happy and healthy in both body and mind. Just be sure to mix in some higher intensity activity to get even more health benefits!
Adults aged 18 to 64 need 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), the type of activity that gets you a little sweaty and breathing a bit hard, a week. MVPA can take on so many forms, so don’t stress if you can’t hop on a bike or strap on skis.
Any of the following activities are easy to try and accessible no matter where you live or where you are on your physical activity journey. Try even one or two of them a couple times a week and see if you can push it to three or four as you get more comfortable. When it comes to getting active, prioritizing and scheduling is really important. If you don’t set aside the time, you’ll always find a reason to push it off – don’t.
Remember the above stats and the impact of heart disease and use that as motivation to move. Here’s how:
4 active ways to improve your heart health
- Active transportation – Heading out for some groceries or an appointment? If you can, try walking, wheeling or cycling to get there. Or, if you have to drive, try parking in the spot farthest from the entrance and get in some active minutes that way. Every bit counts!
- Groove to the beat – No matter where you live, you can always throw on your top tunes and clock some physical activity. Have a dance competition and see who has the best moves or try our Dance-inspired Workout that we created in partnership with YMCA Canada.
- Active cleaning – Say what? You heard us right. Household chores like mopping, sweeping and dusting can all be active. Depending on how hard you’re scrubbing, you’re likely already breathing hard and sweating, and you didn’t even need an online class or fancy workout gear.
- Outdoor work – Shoveling, yard work or even just taking out the garbage and recycling can all add up to improved heart health. Help someone with their outdoor tasks and earn even more active minutes. Your ticker (and neighbour!) will thank you.
Heart disease is a growing concern not just for people in Canada but for people across the globe. But with the right know-how and motivation, you can drastically reduce your risk for heart-related disease by moving your body every single day – even if it’s in small doses to start.
