Hearts in February are most commonly associated with Valentine’s Day, but did you know it is also designated as Heart Month across North America. An entire month to spread awareness about the importance of heart health and an opportunity to focus on what we can do to improve it. Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in Canada, with close to 2.6 million Canadians having been diagnosed with this condition.
According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, nine out of ten Canadians have at least one risk factor for developing heart disease. The risk factors for heart disease include medical conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and sleep apnea. Lifestyle behaviors like a lack of physical activity, unhealthy diet, unhealthy weight, stress, smoking, drugs and alcohol abuse are also considered risk factors. There are additional risk factors that can’t be controlled, such as sex, age, heritage or family history. The good news is that up to 80% of premature heart disease can be prevented with changes to your lifestyle to minimize these risk factors.
The Mayo Clinic suggest various lifestyle strategies to help prevent heart disease. Some of these strategies include:
- Avoiding smoking and the use of other tobacco products
- Eating a healthy and balanced diet. Avoiding foods high in sodium, added sugars, fats (especially trans fats) and highly processed foods and limit alcohol intake
- Staying active. The recommended physical activity guidelines are around 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Getting adequate sleep
- Managing stress
- Getting regular screening for related health conditions such as blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes
Northern Hearts is a local non-profit charity with a focus on trying to reduce heart disease in Northwestern Ontario by providing education on heart health and providing heart-healthy programming. The Northern Hearts website www.northernhearts.org is a key reference resource for information on heart health. The charity also offers weekly postings on their social media pages and sends out a monthly newsletter with heart health information. They also host heart health education events such as “Talk with Doc”, “Healthy Heart Day” and “Walk with Doc”.
“Talk with Doc” is a speaker series hosting medical professionals addressing key aspects of heart health and risk prevention. The series has been expanded into some local elementary schools to include a focus on heart health education for the youth. They hope that greater awareness of heart health at an earlier age might lead to healthier lifestyle choices, ultimately reducing heart disease in Northwestern Ontario. “Healthy Heart Day” is a daylong event to bring awareness to the importance of heart health and provide information sessions by medical professionals to help prevent and manage the disease.
The organization also hosts “Walk with Doc”, a program that invites local physicians and medical professionals to join participants on a short, social walk in the evening to help build and maintain healthy and active lifestyles. The “Walk with Doc” program will be returning in June 2025 and details will be available soon. For more information on any of their events please visit their website or email them at northernhearts@tbaytel.net
You can follow them on Facebook and Instagram @NorthernHeartsThunderBay, where a new posting occurs every Wednesday on all things related to heart health