Does having heart disease or diabetes mean I cannot do exercise?

Having a health condition such as arthritis, diabetes, or heart disease doesn't mean you can't be active. In fact, it's just the opposite. Regular physical activity can improve your quality of life and even reduce your risk of developing other conditions.

Check with your doctor to see if there is any specific activity restriction for your health conditions. For example, if you have had a heart attack in the last month, you may need to stay away from heavy lifting or strenuous exercise, like stair climbing. However, walking on a level surface might be a good start while your heart muscles are still healing.

So how much exercise do I have to do?

To stay healthy, the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that adults ≥ 18 years old should participate in at least 150 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity every week.

If your condition stops you from meeting the minimum Guidelines, try to do as much as you can. What's important is that you avoid being inactive. Even 60 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity is good for you.

We know that 150 minutes sounds like a long time, but you don’t have to do all of it at once. You can divide it up into 30 minutes sessions, 5 times a week. You may even incorporate exercise into your daily life, such as parking the car a little further when you go shopping.

CUSTOM CARE PHARMACY invites to a weekly indoor walking activity with our neighbourhood members. Starting on May 3^rd, we will be walking around in the indoor shopping mall on top of the T&T supermarket every Friday at 10am.  You can go at your own pace and walk as many times around the shopping mall as you want. We encourage you to keep track and see if you could slowly increase the number of rounds you can walk within the 30 minutes session. Contact us today to join!    

“Exercise is too hard for me”

Some people think of a marathon runner when we talk about aerobic exercise or a body builder when we talk about muscle and bone strengthening.  In fact, you don’t have to run a marathon or lift heavy weights to be doing exercise! Start with something you can manage, like brisk walking for aerobic exercise and yoga or tai-chi for muscle and bone strengthening exercise.   

Everyone can do something to improve their health conditions. Come to Custom Care Pharmacy today to find out more details on how you can improve your health!