Biking for better health

If you build it, they will come – this often quoted phrase from Field of Dreams inspires hope that with the right foundation, success will follow. But while this reasoning might work in Kevin Costner films, it falls short of the plate when it comes to preventative health care.

“Everyone knows prevention is the best medicine,” says Nick Giacomantonio, director of the QEII’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Centre and associate professor at Dalhousie Medical School. “The field’s been built so to speak, we have the knowledge but the spark to act is not there. In the movie, those dead baseball players had passion, but getting people passionate about preventing heart and vascular disease is a little tougher.”

Dr. Giacomantonio didn’t build a baseball diamond in a cornfield, but he did establish the Nova Scotia HeartLand Tour, a public awareness campaign and province-wide bike tour to promote the message of prevention. The tour brings together more than 20 doctors, med students and recovering patients for an eight-stop, 1,000-kilometre bike ride from Yarmouth to Sydney.  Each of the stops focuses on creating an interdisciplinary approach to prevention and includes a bike ride and public address.

“It’s really grown since 2007,” says Dr. Giacomantonio. “Some communities have really embraced the idea, which is great. It was always my goal to have communities make it their own.”

Heart and vascular disease is the leading cause of death and disability in Nova Scotia, but can be prevented by knowing your risk factors and leading a healthy lifestyle. But even after patients are diagnosed or have undergone surgery, getting people motivated to make lasting lifestyle changes is a hard sell.

“We see repeat offenders all the time,” says Dr. Giacomantonio. “People can undergo surgery to unblock an artery and be home in 72 hours, but what have they learned?”

For tour participants Ruth Saulnier and her husband Mike, though, the message has been heard, loudly and clearly.

Coming to a town near you... The 2009 Nova Scotia Heartland Tour will have various fun and informative events planned for each stop, including bike rides for every age and skill. July 12: Yarmouth July 13: Wolfville July 14: Bridgewater July 15: Truro July 16: Sydney July 17: Antigonish July 18: Pictou/New Glasgow July 19: Halifax For more local information, including times, schedule of events, directions, and routes visit the HeartLand Tour website.

“My husband had a heart attack when he was 28,” explains Mrs. Saulnier, a participant from Digby County. “It was a real eye opener because we had two small children at the time. We knew our lifestyle had to change.”

The Saulniers began eating healthy and exercising, taking up cycling in 2005. Both have participated in the HeartLand Tour for the past two years, but this will be their first time completing all eight legs of the journey—an impressive feat considering Mrs. Saulnier was diagnosed with a heart condition in 2008 and had a pacemaker implanted seven months ago.

“The message of prevention is so important,” says Mrs. Saulnier. “If we can help encourage someone to make that change in their life we’re happy to do it.”

Although the long hours of training cut into the time they’ve be able to spend with their two sons, the Saulnier’s believe the healthy example they set will make a difference in the long-term health of their boys. Dr. Giacomantonio agrees.

“The bottom-up approach always works best,” he says. “The HeartLand Tour is not a fundraiser to help throw more money at the problem; we’re trying to increase the desire of communities and people to help themselves.”  

LINK: The HeartLand Tour