Starting an Exercise Program After a Heart Attack
Heart attacks are life-changing, not only physically but mentally as well. When someone has a heart attack, they feel more vulnerable in every way, physically and psychologically. They may believe their heart is weak, and they tend to withdraw from activity to keep their heart “protected.”
However, the opposite is true. To be sure, a heart attack does create structural problems that can weaken it, but we must remember what causes heart attacks in the first place. Heart attacks are primarily caused by ischemic heart disease, which involves a buildup of plaque in the arteries. A blood clot may form within the artery when the plaque breaks open. If the blood clot becomes large enough and blood flow is reduced significantly enough, the heart is deprived of oxygen, and the musculature in the deprived area can die.
Knowing the cause of a heart attack can help us understand that exercise, which mildly and temporarily elevates the heart rate, can be beneficial and not detrimental in the weeks, months, and years after a heart attack. When the muscle in the heart dies, it is often replaced by scar tissue, which reduces function. Despite the damage, we want to build it back up as much as possible. Exercise is the way to do so.
Why Does It Feel So Difficult to Exercise After a Heart Attack?
You will be asked to exercise almost immediately after being treated for your heart attack. This exercise will help mitigate any infection or blood clots that may form due to the procedure you have undergone. But exercise also improves recovery and long-term heart health. However, it will feel difficult, seemingly impossible, to do any significant exercise. This is because your heart is recovering from a severe event that has caused muscle tissue to die. The heart muscle is like any other in our body – when you don’t use it, or it has been damaged, it takes longer to recover.
How Long After a Heart Attack Can You Exercise?
We strongly suggest you participate in a cardiac rehab program in the days and weeks after your procedure. This is clinician-led therapy specifically for your heart. Those who participate in a cardiac rehabilitation program have significantly better results than those who exercise alone at home. However, this does not mean that you shouldn’t exercise at home; quite the opposite. We want you to walk daily. Start with a 3-minute warm-up. Then, continue with about 10 minutes of moderate walking. You should be able to speak normally, but you should also feel an elevated heart rate and a little bit of strain. You will then want another 3 minutes of cooling down at the end of your walk. Add a couple of minutes to your walking regimen every day or two until you can walk for about 30 minutes daily. This is an excellent way to get your daily exercise and jumpstart a more significant lifestyle change.
Can You Run or Lift Weights After a Heart Attack?
In consultation with your cardiologist, you can start more vigorous activities at some point in the future. Stationary biking, swimming, running, and other activities that can be performed at various intensities can often be started within a few months after the heart attack. Lifting weights also benefits long-term weight loss and heart strengthening, but only with your cardiologist’s approval and guidance.
Always be mindful of how you feel while exercising. Pain, shortness of breath, and other warning signs that you will find in your post-heart attack instructions must be looked for. You may wish to perform your activities with a buddy in case of a problem or emergency.
Lifestyle change is only complete when dieting as well. Exercise offers a pathway to losing weight and improving heart function, but it will only be effective with dietary changes. Indeed, poor diet is one of the most significant causes of diseases leading to a heart attack, so patients must change their nutritional habits immediately following their heart attack.
Of course, if you have any questions about your post-heart attack lifestyle, we encourage you to speak to our office. There are no dumb or unimportant questions about your heart’s health.