Exercising After A Heart Attack
Within living memory, a heart attack or stroke was considered by many to be effectively the end of any hope of a normal and active life.
Typically the patient would have been advised to be extremely careful and to undertake little, if any, exercise.
However, all that has now changed.
Medical science recognises that not only is exercise after a heart attack possible but it may actually be highly desirable.
It could help the patient to move quickly back into something approaching a normal life rather than one as an invalid.
If you have suffered such an event in your life, here are a few top tips relating to post-illness exercise.
1.
Do nothing until you have taken in-depth advice from your own doctor.
Keep in mind that this article and others like it cannot be read as qualified medical advice for your unique situation.
2.
Assuming you have medical clearance to do so, start off with some gentle exercise.
Some basic on-the-spot aerobic type exercising will start to get some of your joints and muscles back into condition after what may have been an enforced period of inactivity during your treatment.
3.
Start making the effort to engage in regular walking.
To begin with, do it around the home and your garden for a few minutes each day.
Then, build up to 15, 30 or 45 minutes per day and upwards.
Don't be wildly ambitious or try and achieve everything on day one.
4.
Keep your initial walking, even when it is starting to extend in duration, gentle.
Don't try to break any speed records and avoid things such as steep inclines.
5.
Over time, again in consultation with your doctor, you can start to try and walk a little bit more vigorously and briskly.
Try to swing your arms a little in order to get upper torso muscular activity going.
6.
If, like many people, you find walking a little boring, set yourself itineraries.
Try to find local routes that will culminate in reaching a given destination such as a view, museum, older building or café etc.
This will give you some objective rather than just walking for walking's sake.
7.
After a time, you may be able to upgrade to some more demanding exercise, possibly including things such as resistance exercises covering gentle weights etc.
Yet again, don't take the decision to move to this type of exercise unilaterally but only under medical supervision.
8.
Make sure that your food consumption is synchronised with your medical condition and exercise regime.
Approved weight loss recipes and programmes will usually be able to tailor their recommendations to your exact individual circumstances.
Don't make arbitrary decisions about what you should or should not eat either.
Remember, your doctor may have nutritional priorities for you that are not governed primarily by a desire to see you lose weight.
Many patients who have suffered what were initially debilitating heart attacks or strokes are able to make a significant recovery and achieve a lifestyle comparable to that they had previously enjoyed, simply by taking sensible levels of post-attack exercise combined with a planned eating regime.
It is worth making the effort to find out more about this important subject.
Typically the patient would have been advised to be extremely careful and to undertake little, if any, exercise.
However, all that has now changed.
Medical science recognises that not only is exercise after a heart attack possible but it may actually be highly desirable.
It could help the patient to move quickly back into something approaching a normal life rather than one as an invalid.
If you have suffered such an event in your life, here are a few top tips relating to post-illness exercise.
1.
Do nothing until you have taken in-depth advice from your own doctor.
Keep in mind that this article and others like it cannot be read as qualified medical advice for your unique situation.
2.
Assuming you have medical clearance to do so, start off with some gentle exercise.
Some basic on-the-spot aerobic type exercising will start to get some of your joints and muscles back into condition after what may have been an enforced period of inactivity during your treatment.
3.
Start making the effort to engage in regular walking.
To begin with, do it around the home and your garden for a few minutes each day.
Then, build up to 15, 30 or 45 minutes per day and upwards.
Don't be wildly ambitious or try and achieve everything on day one.
4.
Keep your initial walking, even when it is starting to extend in duration, gentle.
Don't try to break any speed records and avoid things such as steep inclines.
5.
Over time, again in consultation with your doctor, you can start to try and walk a little bit more vigorously and briskly.
Try to swing your arms a little in order to get upper torso muscular activity going.
6.
If, like many people, you find walking a little boring, set yourself itineraries.
Try to find local routes that will culminate in reaching a given destination such as a view, museum, older building or café etc.
This will give you some objective rather than just walking for walking's sake.
7.
After a time, you may be able to upgrade to some more demanding exercise, possibly including things such as resistance exercises covering gentle weights etc.
Yet again, don't take the decision to move to this type of exercise unilaterally but only under medical supervision.
8.
Make sure that your food consumption is synchronised with your medical condition and exercise regime.
Approved weight loss recipes and programmes will usually be able to tailor their recommendations to your exact individual circumstances.
Don't make arbitrary decisions about what you should or should not eat either.
Remember, your doctor may have nutritional priorities for you that are not governed primarily by a desire to see you lose weight.
Many patients who have suffered what were initially debilitating heart attacks or strokes are able to make a significant recovery and achieve a lifestyle comparable to that they had previously enjoyed, simply by taking sensible levels of post-attack exercise combined with a planned eating regime.
It is worth making the effort to find out more about this important subject.
Source...