Stroke Awareness Month: Working Out for Stroke Prevention

This National Stroke Awareness Month, we focus on the real reasons we work out.

Sure, lifting heavy things or smashing a new distance PR on the treadmill are great, but our number one priority will always be our health, whether that means physical fitness or mental wellness.

So today, we’re getting down to the serious stuff. We’ll dive into how exercise and nutrition can go a long way in preventing strokes, and keep you happy, healthy and here for the long haul!

How to Prevent a Stroke

The best kind of stroke prevention is living a healthy lifestyle; exercising regularly, and eating healthy meals including plenty of fresh fruit and veggies. You can also quit or avoid smoking and limit your alcohol intake to prevent strokes. These lifestyle choices can help:

• Maintain healthy blood pressure.
• Reduce the risk of heart problems.
• Lower cholesterol.
• Keep arteries clear.

Working out with our gym buddies and experimenting with colourful meals is what we’re about, and it’s a lifestyle that can be great for everyone.

Wondering how best to change your own lifestyle to prevent a stroke? Our personal trainers can help you come up with fitness and nutrition goals that are right for you. Start out with a 50 minute, one-on-one Goal Session with a Fitness World Personal Trainer, all free.

Get Regular Exercise

Yep, it’s the reason you’ve been looking for to invest in a new workout wardrobe and gym membership. Exercise is key to helping us maintain healthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels, as well as a fit body that will keep up with all our fun summer activities.

Heart and Stroke recommends 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week. Here are a few tips to help you meet your workout goals:

• Choose a gym buddy and keep each other accountable.
• Join an affordable gym, where you know you can keep up with the fees and prioritize your fitness no matter what. (Psst! Fitness World starts at $8.99 bi-weekly, check it out!)
• Choose a gym that offers a free personal training session to help you get started.
• Download the Fitness World app – it connects with Fitbit, MyFitnessPal, Runkeeper and more.
• Set goals to achieve and celebrate your personal bests.
• Join classes to keep a regular exercise schedule.
• Follow us on Instagram for trainer tips and exercises you can try at home.

Healthy Diet

As with all things fitness, nutrition plays a big part in achieving our goals, and it’s no different when it comes to stroke prevention. Eating a healthy, balanced diet is key:

• Limit fatty foods.
• Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables.
• Choose wholegrains.
• Eat plenty of fiber.
• Limit salty foods.
• Limit processed foods.

By reducing salt and fat and eating foods packed with fiber, you can stay at a healthy weight, and control your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Every free personal training session our new members receive includes a nutritional consultation. You can also check out our blog to find ideas for quick and easy, healthy meals to make this summer the tastiest one yet.

Limit Alcohol

There are better ways to have fun than through late nights and too many drinks. Workout influencers have helped redefine the concept of living your best life. We’re all for waking up for sunrise yoga, or getting all the feels out with a morning workout aimed at the punch bag. 

Prevention.com highlights research from the journal Acta Neurologica Scandinavica which suggests that consuming alcohol three times a week or more makes you three times as likely to die of a stroke. Heavy drinking also increases your likelihood of experiencing a stroke.

Quit Smoking

Ready to stop smoking? Maybe this is the sign you’ve been waiting for.

Smoking increases the likelihood of suffering a stroke, as you’re more likely to experience a blood clot, due to narrowed arteries.

Quit smoking and focus on exercise as a way to keep your cravings at bay. According to Medical News Today, working out actually reduces the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.

Grab a Fitness World membership and use your free personal training session to set goals and get the support you need to succeed.

Stay Fit and Healthy With Our Team!

If you live in and around Vancouver or elsewhere in British Columbia, there’s a Fitness World location for you. Find your closest club, grab a free pass, or dive right in with a membership and free personal training session. We can’t wait to see you at the gym!

Note: Always seek proper medical advice before making significant lifestyle changes, and consult with your doctor as to the best ways for you to prevent a stroke.