YMCA LiveWell
Providing accessible, personalized, evidence-based community wellness programming across Nova Scotia
YMCA LiveWell is a group exercise program that focuses on improving the physical and health of Nova Scotians with chronic conditions.*
Check out this video of what to expect in the Active for Life class.
YMCA LiveWell programs:
- Create smooth transitions for patients between hospital care and community health.
- Deliver care in the most appropriate setting for promoting and sustaining health and wellness.
- Improve health outcomes of individuals with a focus on secondary prevention and chronic disease self-management.
- Reduce health disparities through the elimination of both real and perceived barriers to participation.
YMCA LiveWell supports both physician and self-referrals and offers a comprehensive intake process, supervision, and progression within a socially supportive environment. It embraces a person-centric approach that focuses on secondary prevention and chronic disease self-management. LiveWell encourages participants to take control of their own health.
*Chronic conditions are defined broadly as conditions that last 1 year or more and require ongoing medical attention, or limit activities of daily living or both.
YMCA LiveWell Programs
Assessment by exercise expert
Meet with our Clinical Exercise Physiologist for a detailed assessment where we get to know you, your abilities and limitations to make sure you are exercising safely while progressing over time.
Individualized group exercise instruction
Begin your YMCA journey with our group exercise classes instructed by a quailed exercise professional who will give you individualized modifications.
Transition to YMCA Fitness Classes
Let us guide you in a transition to other group fitness classes the YMCA has to offer to keep you committed on your physical activity and exercise journey!
CanWell
Active for Life
Meet Joy
Joy Chiekwe, MSc (she/her)
CSEP-Clinical Exercise Physiologist
LiveWell Provincial Lead
Phone: 902-222-5889
Email: [email protected]
Access the enrollment referral form for healthcare providers to enroll their patients in the program by clicking here:
Exercise Professional Referral Form
Heart Wise and the YMCA
Our health management programs follow Heart Wise exercise guidelines developed by the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. A program or class at our YMCA that is designated and approved as heart wise will have the heart wise exercise logo. Heart wise exercise classes meet the following criteria:
- Encourages regular, daily aerobic exercise
- Encourages and incorporates warm up, cool down and self-monitoring with all exercise sessions
- Allows participants to exercise at a safe level and offers options to modify intensity
- Includes participants with chronic health conditions – physician approval may be required
- Offers health screening for all participants
- Has a documented emergency plan that is known to all exercise leaders, including the requirement of current CPR certification, phone access to local paramedic services and presence of a defibrillator.
Approved heart wise program classes cover different types of exercise with different levels of intensity.
Please visit Ottawa Heart Institute for further information