VGH CENTRE FOR CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH  

Cardiac Rehabilitation Newsletter Issue #63 June 14, 2021  

 

Case Manager Corner                    

Nick Pratap,  Case Manager  

 

EXERCISE MYTH BUSTERS - link We all believe we should exercise more. So why is it so hard to keep it up? Daniel E Lieberman explores the most common and unhelpful workout myths from an evolutionary anthropological perspective by revealing 10 myths about exercise which may help you turn over a new leaf without feeling bad about yourself, link here . Thanks Roger for your submission.

Let's Talk Strength!  

Are you noticing differences with the physical function of your body? Maybe it’s more challenging to get out of a chair or carry groceries. In this article, we will discuss the decline in strength with age, and how we can slow it’s progression. Our day to day movements are achieved by a sequence of repetitive muscular contractions. The muscular system is made up of skeletal muscles which attach to bones via tendons. The teamwork between muscles and bones is what allows you to do your daily movements. If we don’t engage these muscles ie: sit around for long periods and not exercise,our muscles will begin to shrink or “atrophy” and become weak making daily tasks harder. As we age, we experience a 40% reduction in muscle mass by the age of 70. So why is this problematic? Between the years 2008-2009, approximately 20% of Canadians aged 65 or older (862 000 seniors) reported a fall in the previous year (statcan.gc.ca). The unfortunate scenario with the aging process is muscle and strength decrease. The good news is we can slow the progression at which you see this steady decline. How? Resistance training! When you think about resistance or strength training, you might think of guys like Arnold Schwarzenegger in the gym, grunting and lifting hundreds of pounds of weight! He was the terminator, you can’t base your idea of resistance training off that! The truth is resistance training can be done at home using your own bodyweight in less than 20min a few times a week. If you like a challenge, resistance bands, dumbbells and resistance machines are other options. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), considered the gold standard for exercise prescription, recommends that we perform a strength training routine at least 2x/week. In this routine, perform 8-10 exercises which target the major muscles of the body (including the legs, back, chest, shoulders and abdominals). Ideally, perform 12-15 repetitions per exercise (a repetition is how many times you perform a movement). Aim for 1-3 sets per exercise (a set is a group of repetitions performed per exercise). You also want to take a 30-60 second rest between sets to allow your muscles to recover. Lastly, we want to avoid strength

Physical Activity/Exercise Legs of steel

Try to do these 3 exercises every day this week to strengthen your legs.

5 to 10 Sit-To-Stand exercises:

Sit at the edge of your chair, and try to stand up with no or as little assistance from your arms as possible. Slowly come back to sitting position. Repeat.

5 to 10 Heel Raises:

Standing tall, holding on to a chair or wall for balance if needed, lift your heels off the floor and stay on your tiptoes for 1-2 seconds and slowly lower your heels. Repeat.

5 to 10 Step-Ups/Step-Downs (each leg):

Find a step or bottom of a staircase. Step up and down with your right leg first then switch to step up and with your left leg. Do 10 total for both legs. Do it slowly.

IN THIS ISSUE

Let’s Talk Strength! Healthy Aging and Protein “Meditate… I can’t meditate my mind is too busy”

 

training workouts on consecutive days (allow at least a day of recovery between strength training routines so your body can recover and come back stronger for the next workout). So what are some of the common benefits of strength training? We know through various studies that resistance training can help with arthritis. By strengthening muscles around a joint, you decrease pain and stiffness and increase joint strength and flexibility. With diabetes it has been shown to help regulate your blood sugar levels. Strength training can help build bone density, which can help with osteoporosis. It can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease by improving cholesterol, blood pressure and overall fitness. Resistance training is also a key player in mental health. Studies have shown improvements in more deep/restful sleep along with a reduction in depression and a boost in self- confidence. Finally, resistance training helps maintain overall strength and decreases fall and injury risk as you age, allowing you to continue to be independent and do activities you enjoy! We always want to remember to be safe when it comes to resistance training. Remember the following: breathe, focus on form and technique to avoid injury, increase weight in small increments, and stretch your muscles after the workout to reduce the soreness you feel the next day. When we get to our later years, it’s not so much on how we look (okay maybe a little) but more on how we function. Think about what matters to you. This could be jogging in your 80’s or being able to lift your grandchildren. Whatever it is, strength training along with aerobic exercise can help with this. Have fun with your routine!

VGH Cardiac Rehab Strength Training Videos: 1

Resistance Training Presentation Dumbbell Exercise Routine 1 Dumbbell Exercise Routine 2 Resistance Band Exercises 1 Resistance Band Exercises 2 Body Weight Routine

 

Dietitian Corner

Michele Blanchet, Registered Dietitian

Healthy Aging and Protein Age related muscle loss is normal but combined with a poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle, acceleration of muscle deterioration increases and risk for compromised strength, mobility, falls, slower recovery from illness and even loss of independence.

Muscle loss can also cause weight gain. When your body loses muscle your metabolism is affected (the rate at which you burn calories, slows) requiring less calories to maintain a healthy body weight. The issue, not reducing caloric intake causes unintended weight gain but as you age, you still need the same, if not more nutrients to stay healthy. Therefore, making good nutritional decisions are important.

Many seniors struggle to get adequate protein: reduced appetite, meal skipping, decreased ability or motivation to prepare balanced meals (tea and toast), dental issues, impaired taste, swallowing problems, reduced financial resources or not paying too much attention to protein, are all factors. The amount and timing of protein is important. Not eating all your protein at one meal (example dinner) but spreading throughout the day. Research shows that seniors are less efficient at processing protein, getting enough at a meal helps to stimulate the uptake of amino acids into muscle. Experts recommend for healthy older adults a general range of 20 - 30 grams of protein per meal (except with kidney failure).

Getting protein from real food is easy to do (no protein supplements required). To give you an idea:

¾ cup of Greek yogurt = 18 g (grams) 1 cup milk = 8 g 1 cup (So Good) soy milk = 8 g 1 cup of almond milk = 1 g 3 oz skinless chicken = 28 g 3 oz salmon = 17 g 1 large egg = 6 g 1 cup lentils (cooked) = 18 g 1 cup kidney beans (cooked) = 17 g ¼ cup nuts = 6 g 1 cup green peas = 9 g 1 cup quinoa (cooked) = 9 g of protein.

Protein is also abundant in other grain products: 1 cup of cooked spelt (ancient grain) = 11 g 1 cup of cooked teff (ancient grain) = 10 g 3/4 cup cooked large flake oats = 4 g 1 slice sprouted bread = 4 to 5 g And other foods as well

To check the protein content of other common foods click here or read the nutrition labels.

     

 

Mental / Emotional Wellness  

Gwen Bevan, Counsellor/Social Worker/

Certified Yoga Instructor

“Meditate… I can’t meditate my mind is too busy”

I just can’t help but chuckle a little whenever I hear this. It’s the equivalent of saying, “exercise… I can’t, it makes me breathe heavy”, which is actually the point. In other words, it’s not unusual to have a busy mind, we meditate to calm the mind or oftentimes, we just slow down enough to observe the mind in whatever state it is in. Bringing attention to the busy mind (also known as the “monkey mind”) is just as important as calming the mind and has equal benefits. With each

meditation we are there to observe what is happening, whatever that may be, be it busy, peaceful, anxious, excited, sad, loving, etc. When we observe the busy mind we want to do so with ”kind observation” . Kind observation means to observe without judgement but instead with curiosity. We might have thoughts such as oh, that’s interesting, I wonder why I am thinking about that? And then you try coming back to focusing on your breath. Breathing in, breathing out. And if you vear off again, no problem, more curiosity and then back to the breath. Just slowing things down a little and adding some kindness and acceptance. And we may just develop more self-compassion in our daily lives. And with self-compassion comes compassion for others. And sitting with your thoughts may also bring better insight and maybe even tap into your creativity and imagination. Sitting peacefully can give us time to access those parts of the brain which we ignore when we are too busy. There may be some valuable information if we sit long enough to wait for it to surface and it will if we leave space for it.

Of course, when you can get to a place where your mind feels calm it is like you are resting your brain for the first time in your life. It is delightful! But that takes practice and just as we can’t expect to run a marathon right off the couch, we can’t expect to have a calm mind right out of the hustle and bustle of our daily lives on the first try.

So, start slow with a short amount of time. Even 5-10 min of meditation a day can have enormous benefits, including huge benefits for your heart. Research article: Can meditation help people with heart disease? And if you prefer just a simple guide to follow for meditation check out the one that I put together and is attached to the email sent to you.

So give it a try. Don’t give up. One day you will just notice your mind has some moments of your real peace and calm and you will start to see the benefits show up in your life. It doesn’t matter how you go about it, if one way doesn’t seem to work for you try another, in fact try a few different ways of meditating and enjoy.

Namaste, Gwen 🙏

     

Emotional and Mental Wellness Be in tune with your inner universe

Meditation can positively impact both mental and physical health. It can help manage stress, improve sleep, increase focus, reduce anxiety and even help manage pain and improve heart function .

1 minute is a good place to start. Try this 1 minute meditation every day this week.

For longer meditation sessions, check out our meditation sessions with Gwen here .

Or check out the “Headspace Guide to Meditation” series on Netflix.