Can people with heart disease exercise? What are the caveats?
Many believe that heart disease patients benefit from regular relaxation. However, moving and exercising is necessary for heart and overall health. This article outlines the appropriate, beneficial, and safe levels of exercise for individuals with heart disease.
Heart disease and exercise
For those who don't have heart disease yet, regular exercise can help reduce various risk factors that lead to heart disease and reduce the mortality rate from heart disease.
For heart disease patients, exercise delays the progression of the disease, minimizes its symptoms, optimizes bodily functions, and improves vitality in daily life. Exercise also leads to reduced heart disease fatalities. However, high-intensity exercises can be risky for certain types of heart disease, such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and certain types of exercise-related arrhythmia.
Because of this, an exercise plan is vital. Exercise programs and optimal levels of intensity vary from person to person depending on various factors, including:
- Types of heart disease
- Severity of heart disease
- Co-morbidities
- Muscle strength, physical fitness levels, and abnormalities of bones and joints.
- Previous treatment outcome
- Medications
Heart disease patients should receive a medical evaluation and an appropriately prescribed exercise program. Recently diagnosed heart disease patients with disease severity ranging from moderate to severe may start an initial stage of an exercise program under close supervision from doctors, physiotherapists, and nurses. Once there is improvement and passing safety evaluation, they can begin exercising at home and gradually increase their physical activity levels.
Pay attention to your body while exercising. It can help avoid dangers.
Avoiding high-intensity workouts and not overdoing exercise for too long is crucial to keep in mind. And don't forget to pay attention to your body while working out because it helps us know if there are any potential dangers.
If the following symptoms occur during exercise, stop the exercise immediately and seek medical attention:
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Heart Palpitations
- Dizziness, blacking out
Moreover, patients should take their vital signs, such as blood pressure and pulse rate, before and after exercise. They may use a wearable device to monitor their pulse rate and check their vital signs every time abnormal symptoms occur.
Even though exercise for heart patients usually focuses on aerobic or cardio workouts, each patient has a different body strength and other abnormalities. Mixing different types of exercises will help improve overall exercise efficiency, reduce injuries, and promote better exercise progress, such as
- Resistance or weight training is about building specific muscles, especially in the legs, abdomen, and back. If these muscles are weak, you're more likely to get injured.
- Flexibility exercises involving stretching: These include yoga and pilates.
- Balance training, especially in elderly patients with weak muscles and brain or nervous system diseases, reduces the risk of falling and injuries.
Conclusion
Exercising helps reduce blood pressure in the long run and lowers the LDL cholesterol, known as bad cholesterol. It's considered a magical pill that helps prevent heart disease and strengthens the heart. Do not view exercise as a chore to do only when you are unwell. Exercise should be a part of your daily routine because it is a valuable investment that benefits both diseased and healthy individuals.
