Frantic lives lead to early deaths
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Arul Myles Mylvaganam: I had a very busy lifestyle. A couple of years ago I didn’t have time to eat my morning breakfast; rushed out to work. I didn’t look after myself.
Narrator: Real estate is a tough gig. Home selling was never a nine to five job for Arul. His schedule was dictated by his clients. Everything outside of work fell by the wayside.
Arul: I was playing a very dangerous game.
It began simply enough; a few minor chest pains. Arul thought it was heart burn or maybe stress. He took antacids and went about his busy life. When one morning the pain was so bad he knew that this wasn’t acid reflux.
Arul: I told my wife, “Rene, this is not heart burn and if you leave me right now you will never see me again in your life.” And she was shocked. “What’s going on with you?” she asked. And she rushed me to the hospital right away.
Narrator: Arul was told he had severe blockages in his arteries and his heart was severely damaged. He would have to undergo quadruple bypass surgery, carrying with it a long recovery.
Narrator: So Arul was like most of us; so focused on the here and now that we’re losing out on the opportunity to live a full and healthy life. The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada surveyed over 2000 adults and found that while most of us know to protect our heart health we can’t or won’t commit to the time needed.
David Sculthorpe: At the Heart and Stroke Foundation we know that eight out of ten Canadians understand that heart disease and stroke is preventable, or can be treated with lifestyle changes. However, they have a time crunch and they can’t devote the time they need to change their lifestyles.
Narrator: So, what are our barriers? When it comes to exercise almost half of us say we can’t because of our long work hours. Another 44% say family, work, and other obligations get in the way. A third of us identify the commute.
As for healthy eating 41% say healthy meals take too long to prepare. Seven out of ten of us say that though we rely on restaurants, food service doesn’t not have enough healthy options.
Dr. Beth Abramson: The challenge of finding time is a reality for most Canadians. But tackling that time crunch is critical. The statistics are disturbing: One in three Canadians will die of heart disease or stroke, and it’s the number one killer of women. We need to make the time to make changes in our lifestyle where we’re taking healthier choices and we’re taking the time to invest in our lives in the long run.
A 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a week can reduce your risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke by up to thirty percent. And if you think you’re too busy, it doesn’t have to be all at once. Ten minutes at a time is enough to reduce our risk. Making these healthy changes is a good investment in your health in the long run.
Dr. Marco Di Buono: Some of the resources and initiatives at the Heart and Stroke Foundation offers to Canadians to overcome the time crunch include the My Heart and Stroke recipe Application, which is an on-the-go portable solution for people to be able to include healthy recipes wherever they may be. The website www.healthcheck.org which is our program allowing people to make healthy choices in stores and in restaurants across Canada, and of course www.heartandstroke.ca which is a treasure trove of information on everything health related to prevention of heart disease and stroke.
Narrator: Arul had a second chance. Some are not so lucky. He’s now making the most out of life by being physically active and eating healthy meals.
Arul: My diagnosis of heart disease was a wake up call to take care of my health.
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