Heart Wise Exercise programs and classes are suitable for people who want to stay healthy, continue exercising after cardiovascular rehabilitation, or who may be living with a chronic health condition, such as heart disease, diabetes or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), or people who have suffered a non-disabling stroke.
Heart Wise Exercise programs are available across most of Southern and Eastern Ontario. Use our interactive maps to find a location near you.
About Heart Wise Exercise
What makes a Heart Wise class/program special?
A program or class selected to display the Heart Wise Exercise logo meets the 6 criteria established by the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, fitness professionals in the community, and other stakeholders, including participants:
- Encourage regular, daily aerobic exercise.
- Incorporate warm-up, cool-down and self-monitoring with all exercise sessions.
- Allow participants to exercise at a safe level and offer options to modify intensity according to your needs.
- Accept participants with various chronic health conditions, including heart disease (physician approval may be required).
- Offer health screening for all participants.
- Have a documented emergency plan that is known to all exercise leaders
- For in-person exercise:
- The requirement of current CPR certification,
- Phone access to local paramedic services and
- Presence of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED)
- For virtual exercise:
- Advises participants to create a Personal Emergency Plan*, including phone access to local paramedic service
- For in-person exercise:
* Ensures all participants have shared their phone numbers and addresses with the exercise leader, in case of an emergency.
Contact
Email: @email