Heart Month in Strathmore

In Strathmore, building a healthy community means supporting residents in living active lives at every stage. Heart Month is a great opportunity to do just that. In North America and elsewhere, February is marked as ‘Heart Month,’ a time to bring attention to the importance of cardiovascular health, and what we can do to reduce our risk of cardiovascular disease.

Heart disease impacts almost all of us at some point in our lives, either directly or indirectly. Heart disease is currently one of the leading causes of death in Canada, second only to cancer. Approximately 2.6 million Canadian adults aged 20 and older live with ischemic heart disease (IHD), the most common type of heart disease.

Although rates of heart disease in Canada have been declining, largely due to advances in research, drug therapies and prevention efforts, there are many risk factors that still contribute to heart disease. Prevention plays an important role when it comes to heart and cardiovascular disease, and Heart Month is an excellent time to reflect and take steps to making positive choices for yourself today and in the future. 

Lifestyle changes, big and small, can help reduce your risk. These include things such as eating healthier, getting proper sleep, being physically active, managing your stress, and limiting your alcohol intake. We may not be able to help with all these things, but there are plenty of ways to get get active with the Recreation Team.

We have a challenge for you.

Join us for the fourth annual Heart Month Challenge and make moving a priority this February. Here's what to do:

• Walk or swim as much as you can throughout the month.
• Track your distance with us.
• Beat last year's distance of 3,227.29 km

Prizes will be given to the top three participants for both walking/running and swimming categories.

How can I participate?

There are plenty of ways you can participate, including;

• Going for a walk at the Strathmore Motor Products Sports Centre’s indoor walking track.
• Going to scheduled drop-in lane swim at the Aquatic Centre (with lap tracking).
• Keep an eye out for some Heart Month exclusive free activities during February.
• Increase your odds to win a prize by attending either Drop In Public Skating at the Family Centre Arena or a fitness class at the Aquatic Centre and/or the Strathmore Motor Products Sports Centre for the bonus draw.

*Please note, Public Skate counts towards the bonus draw. Your skating distance does not count towards the walking/running or swimming distance categories.

You can see what each facility offers and event schedule breakdowns at both Strathmore.ca/Recreation and through Perfect Mind. Got a question? We'd love to hear from you. Reach out to us at rec@strathmore.onmicrosoft.com