Exercising with Heart Failure

A Hearty Life reader Jim Stevens left a great comment earlier this month:

I, try very hard to eat right and exercise at least 30 minutes’ every day.I am 81 years’ old do my best to think postive. Do you have any thing new on exercise? Thank you so much. You do a great job, keep it up. Jim

I must admit that I don’t post much about exercise because I am no gym bunny! My preferred form of physical activity is walking and I get plenty of that because my husband takes the car to work each day. The walk from my house to the local main street is about 15 minutes if I walk really fast and my usual shopping circuit means that I’m out and about for about an hour and a half three times a week plus extra walking time each day to pick up my son from school which is about a 10 minute walk each way.

For people with congestive heart failure, exercise is still possible and necessary. According to the American Heart Association, exercise will help your heart get stronger along with decreasing your stress levels and making you more energetic. Patients with heart disease have to be particularly careful when planning your exercise routine so make sure to check with your healthcare provider before you embark on a new plan. You might want to ask if there are any special classes or programs for people with heart failure.

Here are some tips for exercising well:

• Start slowly
• Make sure you drink enough water before, during, and after but don’t overdo your fluid intake
• Make a note of the activities you do each day and how you feel
• Try to be more active in general such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking a little further than usual, or doing some stretching while watching TV
• Stop if you’re feeling discomfort or pain

The Mayo Clinic also has lots more tips on how to fit in physical activity into your day. The American Academy of Family Physicians also has information on the types of activities you can do after having a heart attack and has a list of activities ranked by metabolic equivalents (MET), the amount of exertion each require. And the British Heart Foundation has information on getting active again after a heart attack.

If you have heart disease, please tell us how you keep fit and active!

Tags: exercise, heart failure, heart attack, heart, heart disease, diseases, illness, health