Congenital Heart Disease Awareness Week

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From February 7th to the 14th, is Congenital Heart Disease Awareness Week in Canada. Although the disease is not well-known to many Canadians, it is one of the most common birth defects, affecting one in every one hundred children. At the Mikey Network, we understand the impact that this disease can have on individuals and families, as we regularly deal with young men and women who have CHD.

For those that don’t know, the word congenital means “present at birth”. The congenital heart defect occurs when the heart or the blood vessels near the heart don’t develop normally before birth.

There is no known cause for the disease, but in traceable cases, it is often caused by:

  • Viral infections such as measles.
  • Inherited
  • Down Syndrome
  • Drug or alcohol abuse during pregnancy

Although it is one of the more common birth defects, the survival of children with the disease has greatly increased thanks to medical advances in Canada and around the world.  Today, more than 90% that have (CHD), survive well into their adult life.

To learn more about CHD, we recommend the following resources.

Canadian Congenital Heart Alliance – Great resource for both children and adults that are affected by the disease.

University of Ottawa Heart Institute – Provides great insight into CHD, and defines symptoms and specific forms of the disease. They also have a clinic that provides care to adults with congenital heart defects once they become adults.

Canadian Adult Congenital Heart Network – pools the knowledge and experience of congenital heart disease professionals.

 

February is Heart Month!

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This February is Heart Month in Canada. Promoted by Health Canada, this month aims to raise awareness for heart-related illnesses and causes, while encouraging Canadians to take steps to improve upon their own heart health.

The significance of Heart month is still not lost on Canadians, as Heart disease is still one of the leading causes of death in Canada. In 2017 alone, heart disease affected 2.4 million Canadian Adults.

Fortunately, we can all reduce the risk of heart disease by making healthier lifestyle choices, including quitting smoking, eating a healthy and balanced diet, getting the proper amount of sleep, exercising regularly and monitoring our blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Throughout the month of February, we will be sharing heart-healthy tips on our blog, as well as on our social media channels to help you to improve your heart health. Below are some key heart health tips that you should aim to keep all year round.

Heart Healthy Tips

  1. DO NOT SMOKE: if you have never smoked, don’t start. If you do smoke, quit. You will increase your life by 5 years for every year you are smoke free.
  2. Enjoy a balanced, nutritious diet. Limit fat intake to between 15% and 30% of your total number of daily calories.
  3. Exercise regularly, 20 minutes 3-4 times per week, or a minimum of a brisk walk daily.
  4. Moderate your intake of alcohol. Guidelines by Health Canada suggest limits of two drinks per day…either 12 oz. Beer, or 5 oz. Wine or 1.5 oz. Spirits.
  5. Limit your intake of salt and caffeine. (No more than the equivalent of four regular cups of coffee per day.)
  6. Try to get 8 hours of sleep each night.
  7. Have regular check-ups with your physician. Early detection is the key to a successful solution.
  8. Keep a positive attitude and wear a smile… it takes only 22 muscles to smile, but 37 to frown.
  9. Make time for leisure activities such as reading, hobbies, sports, TV etc.
  10. Invest in CPR and AED education and training, and encourage your family and friends to do the same.

 

National Non-Smoking Week/Resources On How To Quit Smoking

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The Canadian Council for Tobacco Control’s National Non-Smoking Week has just begun and will run from January 21st to the 27th. The event, which addresses the health issues that smoking can cause aims to:

  • Educate Canadians about the dangers of smoking
  • Offer solutions to help people quit
  • Prevent young Canadians from beginning to smoke and become addicted to tobacco cigarettes
  • Assist in the attainment of a smoke-free society in Canada

The Mikey Network believes this annual event to be of high importance as smoking is one of the lead contributors to heart disease and cancers for Canadians.

Chemicals in tobacco can damage your heart and blood vessels, leading to narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis), which can ultimately lead to a heart attack. When it comes to heart disease prevention, no amount of smoking is safe. Smokeless tobacco and low-tar and low-nicotine cigarettes also are risky, as is exposure to secondhand smoke.

To help smokers or those who know of a smoker in their life to quit, we encourage you to utilize the following resources.

  • Smokers Helpline: A site that is dedicated to helping smokers understand the benefits and negatives that can be attributed to smoking. It also has community forums for those who are in the process of quitting and resources to begin your first steps.
  • The Government of Canada: The government has created a site that allows you to connect with an organization in your province that provides resources on how to quit. They also have a toll free line that you can use to ask questions and talk to someone about quitting.
  • Break it off: Is a free mobile app that is dedicated to helping younger people quit smoking.
  • Leave the pack behind: Is a free resource from the Government of Ontario that offers young adults information on how to quit and personalized support.

If you found these resources to be helpful for you, please let us know on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

 

Exercising safely when you have heart disease

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Exercising regularly can be one of the most beneficial things that you can do for your heart health. Performing physical activity helps you to live longer and allows your body to run and perform better in the long-term. It’s advised that everyone should be performing 150 minutes of exercise a week to maintain a heart-healthy lifestyle.

But after suffering a heart attack or a cardiac arrest it can be a daunting thought to begin exercising again. What’s safe to do? What should I focus on? Where do I start?

Although you may face these questions with uncertainty, the truth is that there is almost no disease that doesn’t benefit from exercise in some way. As such, you shouldn’t give up, sit around and do nothing. You should focus on ways that you can begin to strengthen your body and improve your overall heart function.

Benefits of regular exercise for the heart include:

  • Strengthening your heart and cardiovascular system
  • Improving your circulation and helping your body use oxygen better
  • Improving your heart failure symptoms

Seek out a physician before you begin

Although we encourage you to exercise, we strongly recommend that before you do anything; you contact your physician to see what they recommend. They’ll understand your level of recovery and fitness level better than anyone else, and will be able to provide you with a detailed plan to begin exercising again.

Here are some questions that you should ask when you go to meet your doctor:

  • How much exercise can I do?
  • How often can I exercise?
  • What types of exercises should I do?
  • What activities should I avoid?
  • Should I hire a personal trainer to exercise with me?

After you have met with your doctor, they may recommend that you should go through a rehabilitation program to teach you how to safely become more active. You can find a cardiac rehab program in any province at cardiachealth.ca.

General workout tips

  • Focus on doing aerobic exercises when you begin working out again, rather than more complex movements like isometric exercises (pushups). Aerobic exercises are easier to perform and will help to make your heart stronger, while isometric could strain your muscles. Popular aerobic exercises include running, walking, and swimming.
  • Look at the forecast before your workout to avoid humid or cold days. Cold weather can increase your blood pressure, interrupt blood flow to part of the heart and make blood clots more likely to form. Humid weather can tire you out much quicker and can interfere with your circulation. On days when the weather is too hot or cold, aim to workout inside instead.
  • Make sure that you stay hydrated. It is important to drink water even before you feel thirsty, especially on hot days.

Starting to exercise

If your doctor has advised you that you’re all right to perform regular exercises instead of going to a rehabilitation center, we recommend that you slowly ease back into a workout routine. Everyone should perform 30 minutes of exercise a day, but it’s best if you go at a pace that you’re comfortable with; especially if you haven’t worked out in a long time.

Here is a simple workout that you can do anywhere.

Week 1 – 10-minute walk (Every second day)

Week 2 – 5-minute walk to warm up, a 10-minute walk, and 5-min cool-down.

Week 3 –  5-minute walk to warm up, a 15-minute walk, and 5-min cool-down.

Week 4 –  5-minute walk to warm up, a 20-minute walk, and 5-min cool-down.

Things to look out for

As you begin the transition back into exercising again, it’s important to remember to look for any symptoms of a heart attack during your workout. If you can, aim to workout with a partner for the first two months so that they can monitor you as you get back into the rhythm of going to the gym. While you workout both you and your partner should be conscious of:

  • Any chest pain
  • Weakness in your body
  • Dizziness or lightheadedness
  • Pressure or pain in your chest, neck, arm, jaw or shoulder, or any other symptoms that cause concern.

Exercising and making your way back towards a heart-healthy lifestyle will take time, so no matter what your results are initially; always aim to keep moving forward.

 

Heart Healthy Nutritional Tips For 2018

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As we begin the new year, a majority of us have begun the annual tradition of defining new years resolutions to accomplish. One of the most popular being weight loss and maintaining a healthy diet throughout the year. Although it is widely accepted that these are good resolutions to have, it is very hard to accomplish. To help you, we’ve developed some nutritional tips that you can use as a guide to stay the course.

Nutritional Tips

Be patient and plan

Any change in one’s life takes time. As you begin to change your diet try to think of the undertaking as a gradual lifestyle change, not a crash course. Think about the goals that you would like to accomplish and determine what is manageable for you. What can you accomplish in a month, a few months; a year? Each goal or resolution that you consider should lead towards a diet that is focused on benefiting your overall heart health. Even something small like opting for water instead of soda will make a huge difference in your daily diet.

Focus on the overall quality of your diet

It’s very easy to look at two different items and compare calorie to calorie to convince yourself that a low-quality item isn’t so bad. Instead of comparing, aim to eat foods that you know are going to have great nutritional value. Fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and grains are always great staples to focus on within your diet. They will not only be lower in calorie content but will also help to make you feel more full.

Have a meal plan and eat at home

Having a weekly or even monthly meal plan developed for yourself or your household will help you to stay on track with your diet. Utilize the myriad of heart-healthy recipes that are available on our site.

Cooking at home is also very beneficial to sticking with a heart-healthy diet, as you have full control of what is being put into your food. It will also help to save you money as you won’t be tempted to eat out at restaurants or fast food establishments.

To help you plan your meals we’ve taken the time to develop this free calendar that you can use as a resource to plan out your meals for a week or even a month.

Watch what you eat when eating out

Although we highly recommend focusing on preparing a majority of your meals, we know that it’s not always possible to avoid going out to eat. Instead of leaning towards old habits, aim to go in with a strategy. Instead of fries, ask for more vegetables. Instead of getting an entree with a heavy creamy sauce, opt for it without the sauce. Create a strategy that will work within the diet and goals that you’ve set out for yourself.

Remember, switching to a new diet will take time, so be patient with yourself as you adapt to this change. If you’d like to share with us your progress or some of your own tips, reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.