lowering your risk of heart disease: misconceptions around exercise and a sedentary lifestyle

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“the unique thing about heart health is that both behaviours, so physical activity as well as sedentary behaviours, play a role in impacting our level of risk."

by angelica bottaro

published feb 27, 2025

5 minute read

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5 minute read

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because modern society is less active than previous generations, the state of heart health in the country is simply a “reflection of what society looks like today.”

you can be mindful of your workday and take a 10-minute break every hour to walk around and raise your heart rate a bit, or you can take the stairs when you can. getty images

as many as 2.6 million canadians live with some form of heart disease, and it is considered the second-leading cause of death in the country. of those 2.6 million cases, roughly 80 per cent are preventable.

while it’s more prevalent in males, the rates tend to increase significantly in females, primarily after menopause.

leigh vanderloo, the scientific director of participaction, works to ensure that people are aware of the facts about heart health and what they can do to lower their risk of developing it.

“the numbers and the rates are certainly growing here in canada. a lot of that is purely the result of our living in more of an obesogenic and sedentary environment,” she said. “we’re seeing this as a byproduct to living in a world where physical activity has really been socially engineered out of our day-to-day lives.”

the age of convenience and screen time has essentially lowered the energy expenditure it takes to complete daily tasks, giving people a lot more of what they want and need for far less effort.

because modern society is less active than previous generations, the state of heart health in the country is simply a “reflection of what society looks like today.” this mirrored image has changed health behaviours and, with it, brought on some negative consequences of those adjustments.

the good news is that people can adopt more movement in their lives. one valuable way to do that is by practicing active lifestyle habits—and that doesn’t mean just getting the standard 150 minutes of moderate activity a week.

“the unique thing about heart health is that both behaviours, so physical activity as well as sedentary behaviours, play a role in impacting our level of risk,” said vanderloo. “we used to think of physical activity and sedentary behaviours as just opposite ends of the same spectrum. we now know that they’re actually independent constructs of one another.”

getting more physical exercise for heart health

exercising more can significantly benefit heart health for several reasons. in addition to reducing the risk of heart disease, the simple act of moving enough can lower and maintain healthy blood pressure levels, strengthen the heart muscle, improve circulation, reduce stress and help with weight management.

physical activity trends in canada show that as people get older, the time they spend exercising tends to decrease. at the same time, heart disease risk increases just because of age, so adding in a lack of movement can compound that.

one common misconception is that older adults shouldn’t exercise or can’t move as much as recommended because of their age, but that’s not the case. vanderloo notes that many people have a “what’s the point?” attitude, especially if they haven’t been consistently exercising throughout their lifetime, but that “it’s never too late to start.”

“there’s always going to be benefits to be gained, and especially as we’re getting up in years, being active is not only going to help prevent those issues related to heart health, it’s going to increase our longevity,” she said. “the quality of those years allowing us to age in place independently, preventing trips and falls, decreasing those feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression, those feelings of isolation.”

another common misconception is that for people who haven’t worked out a lot, especially if they’re older, putting too much stress on their heart is going to induce a heart attack, but that’s not the case. however, checking with a healthcare provider before starting a new exercise regimen is a good way to find out your starting point, especially if you’ve experienced cardiac issues in the past.

“start slow. this is very much a journey, not just this end destination,” she said.

some people also maintain an all-or-nothing mentality regarding exercise, which can hinder their ability to get the benefits without disrupting their entire schedule. essentially, it doesn’t matter how much a person can commit to exercise; it’s more so about ensuring that they do something moderate regardless of the minutes they spend doing it.

“(there’s) this idea of volume, like how much, and usually it’s like, ‘well if i can’t get active for at least 60 minutes at a time, it’s not benefitting my heart.’ again, what’s the point?” she said. “what we do know is that any type of movement, any attempts that you make to move more, to get that heart pumping a little more, increase that heart rate, is going to have really important protective factors.”

engaging in less sedentary activities for heart health

along with moving more, vanderloo says that paying attention to how much time a person is sedentary is just as vital to heart health as making time to exercise.

for example, if a person takes an hour a day to do moderate workouts but spends the rest of the day sitting for work and recreation, they’re still doing their heart a disservice and run the risk of increasing fat around the abdomen, high blood pressure, and other issues that affect heart health.

for many, though, incorporating activity into their day isn’t always easy. office workers are often forced to sit and look at a computer screen for hours on end, and even with standing or treadmill desks, it’s not always feasible to transform their sedentary jobs into something more active.

but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to move around more during those bouts of sedentariness. vanderloo encourages people to engage in something called an “exercise snack.”

“these really short microbursts or exercise snacks throughout the day, which inadvertently decrease the amount of time you have available to be sitting, you’re going to have better sleeps, you’re going to have more energy the next day to do all the activities that you need to do and help support those more extended bouts of exercise,” she said.

you can be mindful of your workday and take a 10-minute break every hour to walk around and raise your heart rate a bit, or you can take the stairs when you can, challenge yourself to walk more briskly when you check the mail or do jumping jacks while you wait for your coffee to brew in the morning.

vanderloo also notes that while the “weekend warrior” trend still allows people to hit their allotted 150 minutes per day, getting more movement throughout the week on those non-workout days is a vital piece of the heart health puzzle.

“you fall into that kind of phenomenon of that active couch potato,” she said. “you’re preventing yourself from reaping these repeated benefits all throughout the week because you’re missing not only those opportunities to sneak in a little bit more physical activity, but you’re not doing really anything to purposely interrupt all that sedentary time.”

she continues, “the heart’s a muscle. we need to condition it. we need to work it up slowly. we need to strengthen it, and the best most effective and safest way to do that is gradually build it up. let it adapt. let it acclimatize, and you’re going to have much better heart health.”

as for knowing whether you’re getting the right type of exercise to help your heart, it’s all about paying attention to your body while you’re moving.

“are you kind of huffing and puffing? are you getting warmer and stuff like that? that’s a good indicator that you’re engaging in physical activity at that higher threshold.”

angelica bottaro

angelica bottaro is the lead editor at healthing.ca, and has been content writing for over a decade, specializing in all things health. her goal as a health journalist is to bring awareness and information to people that they can use as an additional tool toward their own optimal health.

lowering your risk of heart disease: misconceptions around exercise and a sedentary lifestyle

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lowering your risk of heart disease: misconceptions around exercise and a sedentary lifestyle

“the unique thing about heart health is that both behaviours, so physical activity as well as sedentary behaviours, play a role in impacting our level of risk."

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