People who have heart disease should exercise as often as possible. This will help them rebuild their heart muscles and keep cholesterol levels to a minimum. Since obesity is also one of the major risk factors for coronary artery disease, exercising additionally helps keep a person’s weight under control.
How does exercise help when you have heart disease?
People who have coronary artery disease will often receive a recommendation from their doctors to be more engaged in physical activities. This can help them by:
- Making the heart muscle stronger.
- Lowering high blood pressure levels.
- Lowering cholesterol levels.
- Helping people to lose weight.
- Keeping the bones strong.
Who should avoid exercises?
For example, people who have recently had a heart attack might not be allowed to make any physical effort. Others, such as people who have stable angina, which is a predictable chest pain that occurs every time the heart is subjected to an activity that requires extra oxygen and therefore makes it pump harder, should also be careful. Engaging in physical activity might not be recommended for people who have recently undergone a heart procedure, or for those who have diabetes.
Exercise intensity and frequency: How often should you work out?
There is a concept known as target heart rate, which translates into how hard you have to exercise in order to get the most heart benefits from your workout. You could ask for your doctor’s help to find out the target heart rate in your specific case. Generally speaking, people who have coronary artery disease have a different heart rate compared to those who have a healthy heart.
There is also the question of how often you should exercise if you have heart problems. According to the American Heart Association, you should work out at least two and a half hours every week. To meet this target, you can exercise from Monday to Friday, for half an hour every day. The duration of the exercise session depends on your current heart health, as well as your endurance. For the best results, exercise for at least 10 minutes at a time. Make sure that you stay hydrated as much and as often as you need to.
Exercising tips
Combining aerobic exercise with strength training is the recipe for success. People who lead a sedentary lifestyle will have to take exercising slowly, as to avoid putting a lot of strain on their body. Here are some ideas that can help:
- Aerobic exercise isn’t all about the sessions you see in movies. Aerobics can mean anything from biking to jogging, so why not start with one of these activities first? You can also take on swimming or longer walks. The important thing is to stick to this activity at least three times a week.
- Make sure that you stretch before actually exercising. A stretching session of about five minutes can warm up the muscles, preparing your body for exercising.
- Take breaks when exercising, but do so at intervals of at least 10 minutes of workout. Breaks will help avoid tiring out the body too soon.
- While exercising, make sure that you wear comfortable clothing for the type of exercise you are doing. While it’s possible to bike in jeans, it will be more difficult to get through a fitness session without proper stretch pants. By ensuring that you feel comfortable while working out, you will find this activity enjoyable.
- If you live in a climate with particularly hot summers, avoid exercising during the day. Instead, wake up early in the morning, or exercise late in the evening, particularly if your workout involves staying outside.
- You can always turn to a physical therapist or a personal trainer if you’re not sure what you’re doing or where to start. With their expertise and knowledge about how to exercise the correct way, these specialists can create an individual and personalized set of exercises for those who have coronary artery disease.
- Weight-training routines are good for heart health, but when they are performed incorrectly, they can lead to pain and injury. It is best is you talk to a workout specialist before starting a training routine, to make sure that you’re not putting too much strain on the body.
Knowing your limits
You should also know when to stop exercising, as people might sometimes be tempted to push their limits until they get hurt or sick. When the heart gets overworked, you can start experiencing nausea, shortness of breath, chest pains, or irregular heartbeats. Should this occur, stop your exercising immediately and get some rest.
You can take your pulse by using your index and third fingers and pressing against the wrist area, right at the base of your thumb. Count the number of beats per minute to identify your pulse.
You should call your doctor if you start feeling pain in the chest, jaw, arms, or neck, or if you feel numbness in your arms. If you also have angina and the pain seems to be getting worse while you exercise, you should also see your doctor immediately, as well as take your angina medication.