February is Heart Month

More than 60 years ago, a visionary group of Canadians, including physicians and researchers, established the National Heart Foundation of Canada. Today the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada is at work in communities from coast to coast, with: 130,000 volunteers and close to two million donors. Since 1956, the Foundation has raised and invested more than $1.3 billion in leading-edge heart disease and stroke research. Today, heart disease and stroke take one life every 7 minutes and 90% of Canadians have at least one risk factor.

• Warning signs of a Heart Attack: Chest discomfort, Discomfort in other areas of the upper body (neck, jaw, shoulder, arms, back), shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, light-headedness.
• Warning signs of a Stroke: Weakness (sudden loss of strength or sudden numbness in the face, arm or leg, even if temporary), trouble speaking, vision problems, headache, dizziness.
• Lower your risk: know & control your risk factors, be smoke-free, be physically active, know & control your blood pressure, know & control blood cholesterol levels, eat a heart-healthy diet, achieve & maintain a healthy weight, manage your diabetes, limit alcohol use, reduce stress, visit your doctor regularly and follow their advice.

Learn more at heartandstroke.ca or call 1-888-473-4636.

Active Living Challenge

In celebration of Therapeutic Recreation month, Columbia will be joining the challenge with other facilities in Lethbridge by logging our minutes of physical activity. The challenge runs for the month of February, with the winner being announced in early March. Recreation will record the minutes of the daily exercise program and individuals interested can obtain a log sheet from either Pam or Veronica to record their own progress. Together we will combine the totals. All minutes of activity need to be submitted to recreation by March 2, 2015. We can do it!

Columbia Newsletter February 2015

Columbia Calendar February 2015