Haldimand Family Health Team

PLEASE NOTE: All of our clinics will be closed this afternoon (Wednesday, July 9th) for a staff training. The clinics will reopen Thursday at 8:30am.
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Exercise is Medicine

Exercise is Medicine

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One of the best choices you can make is to live an active life. Exercise and physical activity are key parts of living your best life.

Often people worry that exercise may not be safe because of a medical condition like osteoporosis, diabetes, heart disease, or many others. These people may avoid doing things they enjoy out of fear for their health.

Luckily, exercise is not only safe for most people but can be an important medicine to help manage at least 40 chronic conditions. And more research continues to show how important exercise is for people with medical conditions.

Even in the case where a medical problem may make some types of exercise less safe, there are almost always safe ways for every single person to exercise.

Most people should aim for at least 150 minutes a week of aerobic physical activity. This is the type of physical activity where you start to breathe faster and your heart beats faster. This exercise strengthens the muscles in the heart and blood vessels and improves how the body reacts under stress.

Resistance exercise (sometimes called strength training) is also crucial for health. Most people need to do strength exercises for all major muscle groups at least two times a week. Strength exercises help muscles get stronger and have important benefits for bone health, blood sugars, and many types of muscle and joint pain.

The Registered Kinesiologist at the Haldimand FHT can help:

  • Learning what types of physical activity would be the best medicine for you,
  • How to start resistance training,
  • Incorporating more physical activity into your everyday life.

If exercise were a medicine, it would be one of the most prescribed medications in Canada!

Learn more:

Exercise is medicine – this organization works around the world to show how exercise is a good prescription to help manage chronic conditions – https://exerciseismedicine.org/canada/

24-hour movement guidelines – Canadian specific information about what types of activity make an ideal day – https://csepguidelines.ca/