Exercise and AF

[Pingu778]

I’m looking for some advice re exercise. I’m overweight and want to lose weight and get fitter. I’m scared to do exercise in case it sets me off with an AF episode. I’ve started yoga which I love. Any other exercise people can recommend or any advice on how people cope with exercise and weight loss whilst thinking about AF episodes.

[sassy59]

I think about doing Tai Chi as it’s good exercise but not strenuous xx

[rosyG]

swimming would be good! Exercise is good for AF as it lowers your blood pressure ``just make sure you drink lots of water and If you are dieting it's important to keep electrolytes up so plenty of fruit and , fish and vegetables.

[CDreamer]

Swimming is excellent as it puts less stress on the joints whilst giving you maximum benefit and covers the 3 S’s - Strength, Stamina and Suppleness. It’s good to include some cardiac work but take it slow and steady and rule of thumb - if you can’t talk whilst exercising - slow down or stop and rest until you can without breathlessness.

Any exercise is better than no exercise so find something you enjoy and walking is fine.

You don’t have to be good to start with but you do have to start in order to be good was always my motto.

[CDreamer]

PS - I hope you know that exercise doesn’t help you lose weight only eating less and better does but exercise does make you fitter and improves well being. Note to self: - get going again!

[Morzine]

Walking, try and get a circular walk so you then know yoir heading back to car……or do a walk with a cafe at the end have a break then walk back…..both are good cos you don’t want to walk a long way and then think oh god I’ve all that way back.You can do this daily doesn’t have to be long . I’ve a circular walk around morzine with cafes on route and always stop and have a cuppa and wee!

Sue

[beach_bum]

Walking...and swimming if you have access to a pool. Introduction to aqua fit is also a good start. Like CDreamer said. Diet is the cornerstone to weight loss. Book an appointment with a registered dietician, and have a structured plan in place.

Realistic goals are paramount to weight loss. It didn’t pile on in a year, so prepare for a long, yet fun journey. Slowly your old clothes will fit, you will sleep better, health issues will start to improve. Keep a journal.

Keep away from fad diets, and there are a bazillion of them out there.

All dieticians will tell you...portion control and macronutrients are key. We have been slowly increasing portions over the decades, and think it’s normal...it’s not.

Don’t fret about failing, losing track or feeling frustrated along the way. It’s normal, and that is why support is so important.

You can and will do it 🙂

[Singwell in reply to beach_bum]

Good advice

[secondtry]

My theory in general (of course there are exceptions & other contributory factors) is that weight piles on because of overeating, not because we are greedy but because the food we eat is not what we need. The body says 'thank you very much but I need more as I haven't found what I need yet' so we eat more. Just high quality usually organic food prepared from scratch has got me down to BMI 23, the same as I was at 18!!

Re exercise, I have found moderation and daily (rain or shine) is the best; particularly walking briskly twice a day.

[Singwell in reply to secondtry]

I too lost weight such that its the same as 35 years ago. It's stayed off too. Nuisance with clothes though...

[secondtry in reply to Singwell]

Also for me a problem with friends who think & say I look too thin!!

[tunybgur]

Exercise gets easier and actually enjoyable the less overweight you are.

You have to do the two together but both require a certain amount of discipline.

Exercise will not lose you much weight but is essential to keep a healthy body, esp the cardiovascular system, don't become a prisoner of AF, find out how far you can push it.

I find dieting doesn't work for me as the weight eventually goes back on, a permanent change of lifestyle is the only thing that works long term. Simple things like never having cakes, biscuits or sweets in the house, it doesn't mean you can't have these things but it must be reserved as a small treat. The weight needs to come off as it went on, slowly is better than a crash diet.

Simple convenient exercises are easier to keep to than things that need a lot of preparation, a regular brisk walk or joining a gym and enrolling in the exercise classes is good.

After my heart attack I was put in touch with a cardio specialist who oversaw my rehab at the gym, slowly getting back to normal.

Good luck

[Rossdkemp]

I’d suggest a good diet and walking. Strenuous exercise seems to be my trigger for AF (last 2 events whilst playing football) over the course of the last few years post ablation. Touch wood not had any issues since giving it up and went from 90kg to 80kg last year over 6 months just by walking and watching what I was eating. Additional benefit is that It’s great for mental wellness.

[Ashfield53]

I read an excellent book called the Afib Cure and from that I cut back drastically on sugar in my diet along with no caffeine and almost no alcohol. In terms of exercise I do about 5 miles brisk walk every day and a bit of resistance work with weights. My weight dropped into a normal range and it has stayed there.

[jeanjeannie50]

If you can, try to eat a fairly fat free diet. Instead of cheese in a sandwich have tuna or egg. Don't feel that you have to eat all that's on your plate at dinner. In fact if you only eat half, then you have a ready meal for the next day. Keep yourself occupied to take your mind off of eating. Keep a large supply of fruit for the occasional snack.

Do you have a garden? If so make it the best ever.

Get those old photos out and write on the back where they were taken and who's in them. Sort out cupboards and as others have advised, go for a daily walk.

Good luck, you can do it.

Jean

[KaliBill]

Definitely I've found swimming is fine, I used to walk quite long distances but my fear of being somewhere and having an episode when no one knows where I am seems to have curtailed that. Pilates us good as well. Like others have said just be aware the exercise will help your confidence and tone you up but won't contribute a lot to weight loss. I read the book they recommend and it was worth the small cost! I think the beta blockers inhibit my weight loss attempts but am sure someone on here could put me right on that?

[Auriculaire in reply to KaliBill]

Beta blockers do cause problems losing weight for some. Somebody here said that they reduce the conversion of the storage thyroid hormone T4 to the active thyroid hormone T3 . If this is the case that would help explain why they contribute to weight problems.

[Ppiman]

My wife's late aunt ran an enormously successful diet club in our area for very many years. Her mantra was calories in must be fewer than calories out for weight loss to occur, and she got her members to achieve this not with any of the wonder diets, which she claimed were bound eventually to fail, but simply by eating what they were used to and enjoyed, but with smaller portions. The weight loss took longer but was permanent. She also used to say that using exercise to lose weight, despite its other health benefits, would never work well as it burns too few calories. As a form of exercise, Pilates seems a good one, though.

Steve

[Singwell]

Walking. Start on the flat aiming for 20 mins at a time but take rests if needed. Gradually increase speed for a minute or two at a time, then stop, then start again slowly and increase speed as before. Then stop. This will help build a bit of endurance and gently increase your HR for short intervals.

You can graduate to longer walks (preferably in nature) when you feel ready. Test yourself with small inclines at first.

Walking for 30 mins a day, pumping your arms a bit plus changing what you eat - it'll make a big difference and you should also feel better.

So - nothing fancy - simple pleasant activity. You can do it!

[Maggimunro]

Hi Pingu, my thoughts are that weight loss comes with healthy eating, not dieting. Establishing healthy eating patterns that will stay with your for life is so much better than than any of the current fad diets. I joined Noom last November by downloading the app on my ipad. I have slowly but consistently lost 16 pounds by learning about food cravings, triggers, setbacks, and loads more. I stopped following the Noom app 3 months ago as I reached my target and I haven’t gained any weight because I have relearned why I put weight on despite being on what I considered to be a healthy plant based diet. I weigh myself every morning and, if necessary, do a little tweak on what I eat that day.

As for exercise, although that is mainly about fitness, I do find that the day after I have managed say a 4 mile walk, the scales do show a welcome dip. It took me a while to get back slowly into regular walking, but slow and steady is a sensible way to improve fitness.

I used to have a plastic penguin called Pingu by the way!

[andyk0001]

Just a thought, as a rough guide a pound of body weight is about3500 calories. For a man, if you aim to eat say 500calories less a day than the normal daily requirement of about 2500 calories(for a woman 2000 calories), it will take a week to lose a pound. All the other advice re exercise is good and worth doing but eating fewer calories is the only way to lose weight. Of course it is essential to eat the ' right' sort of food to avoid feeling too hungry and get all the nutrients you need.

[Vrouse]

I do pilates and love it. It definitely works your body and is a bit more strenuous than yoga.

[Jajarunner]

Walking is great. Add some sit-to-stands, pressups against wall and some seated rows with a stretchy band and you've got a whole body workout. You can find these exercises online or pm me for help. I'm a fully qualified Personal Trainer specialising in people with medical problems (like us!)Eat natural food, not too much and a good variety. Enjoy 😀😀😀

[dunestar]

I was going to a cardiac rehab class before the pandemic. We had it drummed into us to start slowly and build up from there. Also don't just stop, take the time to slow down gradually.

[SuziElley]

Slimming World and walking 👍🏻

[TM93]

I used to get AFIB immediately after working out at the gym. (I was in my late 60s) My trainer suggested we try waiting for my heart rate to go down after each exercise. I did weights and cardio on a bike. It only required a couple of minutes for me. It worked. I think slow and steady is the way to go. Also stay hydrated as that can set you off as well. Best of luck. It’s a challenge, but you will figure out what works for you.

[Snowgirl65]

The method that always works for me is first to count calories. Get a food calorie chart or check out your regular foods online; get a food scale to weigh your portions. Know your daily calorie limit. Once you see you've lost a little weight -- and it'll certainly show up on the scale, then you start exercising as you'll be in better shape to do it. I've found this two-prong method works like a dream.

[RoyMacDonald]

If you love Yoga and it suits you I would just do it more often/longer. I do Yoga and it's great as a way of forgetting about AF (and cycling which I do a lot). I think that Yoga can be as strenuous and tiring as you want it to be, certainly in the more advanced stages. No advice from me about losing weight though as I have trouble putting weight on. My body just doesn't want to do it. I'm aged 78 so that could be why maybe.

All the best.

Roy

[Xerxes8840]

I suffered Afib 3 years and worked out whole time- try a website called beach body.com- they have multiple body weight only workouts that are excellent- and go on a low carb diet.

[john-boy-92]

Whatever the exercise, take it easy. A radio GP used to say, "walk the dog you haven't got". Exercise can tone muscle but rarely sheds a lot of weight. As a gym bunnie I loved Spin classes when I had a pool of sweat under the bike. My weight loss looked good until I drank to replace the lost sweat. You may find that getting your microbiome (gut flora) can help, along with looking at what you eat. Avoid crash diets, as your body will think it's famine. Stress will produce cortisol and that encourages fat storage. The bottom line is don't punish your body.