Take Heart

What is Take Heart?

The Take Heart Project of Muskoka is a community-based partnership that is dedicated, through the use of health promotion strategies, to the reduction of the modifiable risk factors (physical inactivity, unhealthy eating, tobacco use) that lead to cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, stroke and some forms of cancer.

Links to more good heart health information.

Take Heart is in the 7th year of Phase 2 of the Ontario Heart Health Project. Special funding, provided by the Ministry of Health, will last until 2008. This funding is matched 3:1 by the Muskoka-Parry Sound Health Unit and the Take Heart partners.

The Take Heart partnership has many volunteers as well as businesses and health care professionals. Take Heart envisions communities as supportive environments whose residents are encouraged to practise safe, healthy living in Muskoka.

To that aim, the partnership has been involved in a variety of community projects in the community, helping organize, promote or sponsor them. They include:

• Active Trails Muskoka
• Northern Trails Initiative
• Northern Healthy Eating Project
• 10,000 Steps Walking Program
• Unplug And Play (in partnership with the health unit’s Good for Life program)
• School Food and Nutrition Policies

You can contact the Muskoka Take Heart program through the health unit’s Gravenhurst office at 684-9090, extension 7778 or toll free at 1-877-721-7520.

Heart Health Websites

Created by Health Canada and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, this simple guide shows you the levels of activity best suited to your age and your health goals.

Like its adult version, the Guide for Youth offers charts to help put children and youth on the road to more active lifestyles. It's more than a single chart, though; the guide is a kit full of programs and games and helpful hints on keeping the whole family active.

The "rainbow" of food choices recommended by health professionals.

Canada’s national organization has a wealth of helpful information for people who want to improve their lifestyles and reduce their risks for heart and stroke diseases. Visit their website at www.heartandstroke.ca.

The HHRC works with other public health agencies to create community based programs that combat the risk factors of heart disease. Their website is at www.hhrc.net.

An Ontario organization that helps to strengthen the efforts of local bodies promoting the healthy benefits of good nutrition. Visit their website at www.nutritionrc.ca

PARC provides physical activity promoters in the public health sector. It’s a part of the Ontario Physical and Health Education Association. Look for the PARC logo on the home page of OPHEA at www.ophea.net.

The OTN is a coalition of several national health organizations all working to combat the diseases caused by smoking. Heart disease is a major result of smoking. Extensive information is available at www.theotn.org.