Hi all, I was just wondering if anyone has had any negative or beneficial results from exercising after having an ablation? I had my ablation September 2018 and I have not really pushed any boundaries other than long dog walks, some at a fast pace.
I am doing well so far health wise so I was thinking of starting a exercise program but thought I would see what you guys get up to first. Thanks for any input 😊
So glad you are doing well. Had my second ablation 5 weeks ago. EP said start slow. He recommend stretching, walking and yoga for now. The heart is a muscle but overworking it can cause our heart rate to soar. I guess slow and steady!!!! Right now I am taking is very slow. Keep us posted. Stay well
I would say build up gradually don’t go mad.
Always a difficult question to reply to for reasons I know you will understand and appreciate. We know that “extreme” sports activity is discouraged but more moderate exercise is deemed to be good for you and I expect you are looking at exercise levels somewhere between the two. If it’s possible, it might be a good idea to check out your exercise regime intentions with your EP and then progress in stages. The important thing is to listen to your body and rein in immediately there are any signs of an inappropriate reaction from your ticker. Being nearly 20 years older than you, my preference would be very different but I can understand the desire to return to your previous activities but please be cautious......
I had my ablation in Sept of 2018 also. I thought I could start walking and taking strength classes a few weeks after the ablation, but it made my heart rate go way high. I just kept increasing the walks a little every week, and I am now back to where I can do a brisk 2-3 mile walk every day, and take 2 strength classes a week. But then, the weather here in Florida decided to go to 100 every day with no rain for the last 2-3 weeks, and I am having to cut back on the walking, its too darn HOT! even at 7 a.m.
Listen to your body and don 't go balls out. To start with you should be able to exercise and have a conversation at the same time. Build up gradually.
Hi I had mine 9weeks ago and have restarted pilates and yoga. I also did a park run at a slow pace a couple of weeks ago.(I started park runs in Jan). Been kayaking too. No ill effects to date. I'm 59 had ablation for PAF.
Glad you're doing well.
I think it's the sort of thing where you know if you're ready or not. The important thing is to listen to your body.
Gradual is the key, and other's have said little and often has also worked for them. There's no point doing a 1-2 hour activity if you're then going to be out of action and exhausted or compromised for the day after.
BobD quite rightly said numerous times that you should do nothing for the first week and only slightly more than nothing the second week and that mantra stuck with me.
Obviously you're now a good few months further on so it's great you've made the progress to be able to tackle something a little more substantial.
On a personal level, it's been 4 months since my ablation and last week I did a 9 mile walk (over 4 hours) solo with a 6.7kg backpack on which was a challenge but felt great and I now know I can do more of the same.
I have been quite "lucky" that in the weeks following ablations in the last few years that I've had a mile round trip (walking) to school to factor in so I've been able to take that at varying speeds to push myself and measure progress.
Good luck!
Great believer in getting a Fitbit and doing at least 8000 steps a day, 10000 if I can. Nice and easy does it. Looking forward to a walking holiday in the Alps. Ski lifts are wonderful things, but they will persist in putting cafes at the top of them. Some great last minute bargains at the moment
I started off my return to exercise by just doing little bits of weight/ resistance training and steady pace walks on a treadmill.
I just did enough to get my muscles working but not to the point that I was straining ie light weights.
I always trained with a heart rate monitor attached to ensure I didn’t elevate my rate too much.
I listened to my body and gradually increased the efforts I was putting in.
I actually found HIIT type training suited me (I stress that I didn’t push hard, just elevated heart rate for short periods)
Once I felt comfortable I began running on the road again and also made a return to swimming.
I actually think that my heart needs the exercise. It’s what it’s been used to over the years.
Everyone of us is different though. This is my experience only.
Good luck.
build it up, keep an eye on your heart rate. I am 4 months post ablation, started exercising but keeping HR under 120 for month 3, then have steadily been increasing it and monitoring what happens. Been up to almost Max HR I believe and no issues, no AF!
This is worth a read as well healthunlocked.com/afassoci...
Glad everything is going so well for you! I had my 4th ablation in Sept 2018 and I started back very slow. I have been able to start back playing pickleball this spring but I have to warm up quite a bit before I play. When I feel the least bit winded or anything I sit out . You really have to listen to your body like Bob said! Staying hydrated is extremely important. I didn’t do much until after my 6 month appt. when my ep gave me the ok! Stay smart!
Is there any hospital or gym in your area offering cardio rehab? Since my diagnosis with AF I have found this wonderful from the very beginning. For me we had an exercise class twice a week with a discussion on other things as part of one of the classes. We had a cardio nurse and a physiotherapist present and our heart rates were checked all the way through the class. It really is a great way to get back to exercising. as with all things during recovery start off slow and a little and often is far better than doing a heavy 2 hour work out in one go. I have a fit bit and also bought a heart monitor which you wear around your body and givea read out on a watch type thing on your arm. I find this works better during exercise as the fitbit doesn't keep up with the exercise - though maybe a newer model available these days would - mine is about 2 years old. I was lucky enough to have a successful cardioversion a year ago but unfortunately have just gone back into AF but continuing to exercise while waiting for further treatment and eing back on digoxin as well as apixaban.
If you cannot find out if there is any where near you offering cardio rehab - I did 3 sets of different lessons. Starting on I think, if I remember rightly on Phase 3 and going onto Phase 2 and Phase, As your GP to refer you. Also there used to be a British Heart Foundation website which could tell you where your nearest centre is.
All the best
Des
That's great information Des thank you very much! I will certainly look into what you have suggested and give it a go.... Take care and best wishes to you with your treatment 👌
The following is from Healthline’s advice on exercise for those with AF. Now, of course, having had an ablation you don’t have AF! But I figure that if these exercises are safe for those with AF they would also be safe post-ablation.
“Before taking part in any kind of exercise, make sure to stretch your muscles or do some low-impact walking for about 10 minutes to allow your heart to adjust to the activity. Make sure you’re hydrated before you begin increasing your level of activity, too.
Once you’ve warmed up, try exercises such as power walking, jogging, or hiking to get a good workout without overloading your heart. Riding an exercise bike or using an elliptical machine or treadmill are also safe workouts for people with AFib.
Lifting light weights can also be a good workout. It can help you build muscle tone and strength without overloading your muscles or straining your heart.
At first, try short exercise periods of 5-10 minutes to make sure that exercise won’t cause you to feel lightheaded or faint. As you become comfortable with short periods of exercise, gradually add 5-10 minutes of exercise time until you feel that you’ve reached a satisfying personal fitness goal.
Exercises to avoid with AFib
If you haven’t exercised in a while, you don’t want to start with intense, high-impact exercise. When you exercise with AFib, you may want to start with short intervals of low-impact exercise. Then you can gradually increase the length and intensity of your workouts.
Try to avoid activities with a higher risk of causing injury, such as skiing or outdoor biking. Many blood thinner medications used to treat AFib may make you bleed more heavily when you’re injured.
If you plan to lift weights, talk to your doctor or a physical therapist about how much weight is safe for you to lift. Lifting too much can put a lot of strain on your heart.”
Many thanks ! All makes good sense 😊
I had a cryo and AF ablation in May 2018 and i’ve been exercising recently with no issues. The other day I did 40 mins on the treadmill, keeping my HR in the 130-140 range and it dropped back to normal levels within a few mins of me stopping exercising.
As you can see, plenty of good advice on this post already, but i’d say only you can decide what is too much. Listen to your body, but don’t listen for every single beat or you’ll never get anywhere! It is easy to get caught up with worrying about every little beat out of place, when most are harmless.
I’d certainly do what you can tolerate within reason, and if you can do more then great! after all you won’t get fit if your don’t push to a point.
Good luck and best wishes
Many thanks and best of luck to you, I will tread carefully but like you say, a little push is needed 👍 Are you on zero meds now?
I was lucky enough to to stop the Flecainide after the ablation, but I am on 1.25mg Bisoprolol still (my choice not EP) as it does a decent job of regulating me with no side effects at that dose, so I decided to remain on it, despite the EP telling me I can stop it also. He also said I can stop the Rivoroaban, until I reminded him that I had two TIA previously when I was in my teens, so he said “oops sorry, yep you’ll be on those for life then i’m afraid”
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