The Heart Strong program caters to individuals with known cardiovascular disease, including those who have experienced a heart attack, angina, angioplasty, and/or coronary bypass graft surgery. As well, those patients with risk factors including high blood pressure, diabetes, overweight/obesity and/or high cholesterol are also welcome. The following forms are required to be completed before beginning the program:
Each member is provided with an individually tailored exercise program that is carried out at our facility. Exercise sessions include a variety of activities such as walking, cycling, arm exercises, stretching and resistance training. In addition, the program also includes information sessions designed to educate participants about various heart disease risk factors and teach them how to manage their risk of cardiovascular disease.
The Heart Strong Program is supervised by Health Sciences students who are specially trained. They are there to teach and supervise use of equipment, perform exercises, ensure safety, modify programs, and answer any questions. And they are a lot of fun too.
GOALS OF THE PROGRAM
Each participant is different, but we hope that participants will achieve one or all of the following common goals:
- Incorporate exercise into daily living
- Improve exercise capacity to feel healthier and stronger
- Have a better understanding of heart disease
- Make desirable lifestyle choices
- Feel stronger and healthier
- Increase their knowledge of cardiac care
We adhere to the Canadian guidelines for Cardiac Rehabilitation and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention outlined by the Canadian Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation.
