Browsing Category: "family Health"
Whatever your age, it’s never too late to incorporate physical activity into your life. Not only can physical activity help you live longer, but it can prolong your health, your mental acuity and independence, so that you get a better quality of life. Physical inactivity, by cons, is linked to higher risks of heart disease, stroke (CVA) and many other disabilities it can cause. Furthermore, physical inactivity may increase risk of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, certain cancers and obesity.
Like adults of all ages, seniors should accumulate 150 minutes of aerobic physical activity of moderate to vigorous activities include a week of moderate intensity, there is brisk walking and cycling. Vigorous-intensity activities may be cross-country skiing and swimming. This can be achieved by performing 10-minute segments that accumulate to reach 150 minutes or more during the week. In addition, seniors should add strength training and development of bone mass using large muscle groups at least two days a week.
The disabled 65 and older should participate in physical activities designed to improve balance and prevent falls.
By choosing activities you enjoy, you will increase your chances to persevere in their practice. If the fitness center does not interest you, take the footpath, gardening, playing a round of golf or take a yoga class. If the weather prevents you from being active outside, climb the stairs at home, join the walking club in your local mall or stroll through the halls of your building or shelter. Get active your way: at home, near you, with your friends, by going and returning on foot or bike to your activities such as meetings, religious activities and social events in your neighborhood.
Activities that provide benefits in terms of endurance, strength, flexibility that are most advantageous.
a. Endurance activities include walking, hiking, swimming, dancing, cycling and skating. They are especially recommended for the heart, lungs and circulatory system.
b. Flexibility activities include stretching, yoga, tai chi, gardening and vacuuming. These activities maintain joint mobility. Increased flexibility will allow you to continue to tie your own shoes, to reach the top shelf in the kitchen and you trim the toenails.
c. Strength activities include weight training with dumbbells or cans, climbing stairs, the pressure standing against a wall, sit-ups and rapid and repeated standing. These activities will strengthen your muscles and improve your balance, helping to prevent falls, is the leading cause of accidental death in people over 65 years. Nobody is too old to develop his strength: studies have shown that strength training can reverse muscle weakness after the age of 90.
Almost everyone can derive benefits of active living. If you have arthritis or osteoporosis, physical activity is extremely important to maintain your mobility. If you have already suffered a heart attack, physical activity can prevent a recurrence.
NOTE: Always consult a health professional before starting any exercise program.
As a parent, you want your children to live long, healthy, and avoid dangerous habits such as smoking. The good news is that government policies to free workplaces and public places smoke, as well as information on health help kids avoid starting to smoke. A recent Health Canada survey reveals that only 2% of youth reported smoking. Only 21% of youth from fifth to ninth grade reported having tried tobacco products. These statistics represent a 50% decrease over 1994. Your child may still be at risk.
Why some children start to smoke?
We know that children who start smoking do not trust them. Some teenagers are easily influenced by pressure from their friends and family members. Other teens believe that smoking gives an air of “cool” and mature. In addition, several teenage girls smoke because they believe it will help them stay thin.
How to prevent my child from smoking?
1. Although it sometimes seems that children do not listen to their parents, your opinion is really very important. Tell your children that you do not want them to smoke. End of story.
2. Prohibit smoking in your home. Not only will you protect your children from dangerous secondhand smoke, but you will give them a positive role model.
3. Discuss the costs of smoking, not only in terms of health, but also financial. Smoking is expensive. Do not they would rather spend their money on clothes or out?
4. Remind your children often that they are great, you love them and that you respect them. Help them feel good about themselves.
5. If you or your partner smoke, the chances that your child smoking also are 50% higher. Even if you smoke, you can still talk to your kids about smoking and its risks to health.
Some facts about smoking
a. Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 toxic chemicals that can damage your heart, lungs and other organs.
b. The carbon monoxide contained in cigarette smoke reduces the ability of your blood to carry oxygen. Therefore, your heart must work harder to provide enough oxygen to your body.
c. The nicotine in cigarettes makes your heart beat faster. It also increases your pressure pressure and promotes the deposition of plaque in the arteries. When plaque breaks, it triggers the formation of blood clots, one of the main causes of heart attacks and strokes (CVA).
If your child already smokes, you may want to discuss with your health care professional for ways to help them quit. You may want to also encourage your son or daughter to visit Health Canada for youth, smoking Life 100 .
Physical activity needs of children and young
Needs of physical activity among children and adolescents
Children have a lot of energy in nature, but without encouragement they may become sedentary. Today, many children spend more time sitting, whether in the classroom, on the bus or at home, reading, doing homework in front of the computer, video game console, the phone or watching TV. These activities can be educational and enjoyable, but in reality, more than half of Canadian children aged between 5 and 17 are not active enough to ensure their health and optimal development.
Set a good example
As a parent, it is your responsibility to move your children. A good trick is to give them a good example. If your children see you make physical activity a priority, they will take note. Research indicates that active parents have active children.
Get them moving
Physical activity strengthens their heart and helps children and adolescents to maintain a healthy weight and healthy blood pressure, which can reduce their risk of suffering later from heart disease and stroke (CVA). It is good to start early, because active children are more likely to become fit adults.
Children and adolescents must be active 30 to 60 minutes a day most days of the week. No need to try to add an additional activity to their already overloaded schedule. Simply encourage them to replace one hour of sedentary activity per one hour of physical activity. They can spend about 20 minutes in moderate physical activity, like brisk walking, skating, biking or just playing outside. Ten more minutes can be devoted to a vigorous activity such as running or soccer.
The free activities are beneficial
Organized sports can be beneficial, but they are not the only solution. All children do not necessarily like the competition. Similarly, sports improvised and unstructured activities have demonstrated their benefits in preventing children from gaining weight. This can be explained by the fact that the emphasis is on fun rather than victory, and that encourages participation.
Examples of free activities:
Tag
Parties improvised ball hockey or ice
Skipping
Sled
Shoveling snow
Among the family activities include:
Walk in the park or conservation area near you
Swimming at the local pool
Games Frisbee, baseball or soccer in the yard
Activities of the local community center
One day at a time
Your children do not have to change abruptly. They can start by sequences of five to ten minutes and increase every week until the activity is part of their lifestyle.
Help your children maintain a healthy heart
As a parent, teacher or guardian, you want your children to be in the best condition possible. Encourage your children to be physically active and eat nutritious food because it is the best way to achieve this goal. But in recent years, you have become concerned by reports of obesity and overweight in children.
In Canada, studies have shown that children and young people are becoming larger and less active. Over the past 30 years, obesity rates have tripled. One child and one in four were overweight or obese. Even more worrying is the fact that less than 10 percent of children practice the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity of moderate to vigorous daily.
However, regular physical activity is important for the development and growth of each child. Among its benefits, there are better social skills and learning, friendships stronger, better ability to concentrate and memory s and a positive impact on self-esteem.
Without a balanced and nutritious diet accompanied by regular physical activity, children can gain weight and cause harm to their heart health. Studies show that obese children and adolescents are more likely to remain obese in adulthood, resulting in serious risk factors for heart disease and stroke (CVA). These individuals are more likely to develop high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes.
If as a way of life, your child eats too much junk food, low in nutrients and high in calories (such as donuts, chips, fries, soft drinks and candy) and too little practice it physical activity, we encourage you to consult a health care professional to get advice.
At the foundation of heart disease, we ensure that all children and young people grow up healthy, to be active, have access to physical activity and a healthy diet regardless of where they live and learn and play through a variety of programs and initiatives.
To learn more about our programs and initiatives, visit the Healthy Children and Youth
Learn about the physical activity needs of children and young
To learn more about healthy, balanced diet, see Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide
For exclusive recipes, heart healthy and popular with children, visit our Recipes section.
What you can do
Healthy habits begin at home. From birth, children need our help to learn to eat healthy and be physically active. Peer pressure influences children and youth of all ages but is particularly strong in early adolescence. As a parent, teacher or caregiver, you play an important role in helping children stay healthy now and throughout their lives. To help children develop healthy eating and physical activity, you might want to follow these easy tips:
Encourage your children to eat three balanced meals a day at regular times. Choose one food from each food group Food Guide: 1) fruits and vegetables 2) grains 3) meat and alternatives, and 4) dairy products and substitutes.
Use your children at least four to six servings of vegetables and fruit per day (depending on age). Five portions correspond to: a small apple, half a banana, a handful of baby carrots, a small bowl of peas and a branch of cooked broccoli.
Use them to water, low fat milk (1% or 2%) and fruit juice to 100 percent instead of soft drinks and other sugary drinks.
Serve fresh fruit, vegetables and low fat yogurt at home from school and on weekends instead of snacks high in fat and calories like chips and donuts.
Encourage them to play outside freely, such as baseball or sledding while reducing the time spent before a computer screen, console video or TV. Read the Canadian guidelines for sedentary behavior for children and youth.
Help children have fun while being active by encouraging them to choose activities they enjoy, be it dance, basketball, hockey, soccer, swimming, rollerblading, cycling or jumping rope. Learn about the physical activity needs of children.
Planning active family outings such as a hike through the provincial park, a swim at the community pool or snowshoeing in the area.
Teach your kids cooking – they appreciate the food they usually have fun cooking.
Give yourself a good example by practicing healthy eating and regular physical activity.