Exercise permanent afib

[Banana-man]

I have had afib since 2009 , I've had 2 ablations been NSR since 2019 after last ablation. I will eventually have paroxysmal or permanent afib. When I used to get afib I used a rate control medication for about 2 days I had no problems walking around. I never tried to exercise , iam a avid golfer and was wondering if there are people who are in paroxysmal or permanent can golf or do other sports ( maybe skiing which I used to do a lot). Skiing might be a bit to much when on rate control meds not sure.

[CDreamer]

There really isn’t a reason why not, it all depends upon how symptomatic you are. I have many friends in their 70-80’s with Af who enjoy golf, maybe a little slower and restricted to 9 holes. My husband who has had PAF which at times is persistent just decided he is retiring his golf clubs and skis - but he will be 90 next week. General rule of thumb exercise is OK as long as you can walk and talk without too much breathlessness or muscle fatigue.

Now running a marathon whilst in AF, that’s a different story and not to be recommended.

[Banana-man in reply to CDreamer]

Thanks I should be ok with golf seeing iam 66 yrs old , not sure when permanent afib will kick in but I will see. Thanks again for responding.

[CDreamer in reply to Banana-man]

Not everyone progresses to persistent or permanent AF, it’s not inevitable and there are treatments. Many people find that adapting lifestyles either prevents or lessens AF.

[Banana-man in reply to CDreamer]

Thanks, hopefully I don't get permanent afib to soon or never .

[1969hippy in reply to CDreamer]

Excuse my ignorance but what is permanent afib? I sometimes at night wake with a racing heart usually when I have been having a weird dream. I can normally get it to calm down by yoga breathing and holding my breath. I only take edoxaban anticoagulant. Should I be getting better treatment?

[CDreamer in reply to 1969hippy]

The definition of ‘permanent’ AF is when you are in AF 24/7 ie: all of the time AND you and your doctors agree that you AF treatments such as cardioversion, anti-arrhythmic drugs and ablation would not enable sustained NSR therefore you agree no more treatments.

What you are describing is a high heart rate - only an ECG can determine whether or not you are in AF. Yoga breathing I find works very well for reducing heart rate.

You need to talk to your doctors about what, if any, treatment is appropriate for you as you are taking an anticoagulant and that is THE most important prophylactic, first line treatment recommended. All other treatments such as rate control drugs - which you could ask your doctor about - are to relieve symptoms and give you a better quality of life.

[1969hippy in reply to CDreamer]

Thanks.

[OzJames]

it appears that people can react differently to AF with exercise, so whats good for me may not be good for you. I am 66 and first got AF in 1993, too much alcohol or caffeine and followed by exercise. I only got one episode every 4 or 5 years until last year. My fix up until last year was go out and exercise hard and i went back into sinus sometimes jump into a cold pool, i guess exercise in some ways was like a 'shock' like a cardioversion did for my heart last year.

Anyway i've been in sinus now for a few months and my weekly routine is 2 x reformer pilates, 2 x cycle 10km on my indoor bike and do a 4km brisk walk every morning with no ill effects. I am on low dose about 10mg of Metropolol morning and night... in Bisoprolol terms about 1mg. I forgot.. i try and play 9 holes of golf every couple of weeks. With all of these i set a threshold on my Apple Watch to warn me if i go over 140 HR and then i back off.

As i said everyone is different go out and start slow, see how you react, under any circumstances do not go out and have a big high energy workout even if you feel good, i like to think of it as going to about 70-80% of my normal max.

[Exfat]

My experience I’m 62 I have had boats of PAF for the last 10 years during the boats of PAF. I didn’t exercise but started my exercise routine, 24 hours after they finished. I have been in permanent AF since last November continued my exercise routine while in permanent, AF and Have started using the treadmill in the gym at first I couldn’t do any more than a brisk walk for longer than a minute, but now I’m doing a combination of brisk walking and jogging for 30 minutes and using the step machine for a full hour to simulate, walking uphill The more I exercise the easier it seems to be and I’m getting less and less breathlessness and dizziness while exercising, but that’s just my experience it might be different for you

[CliveP]

Exercise has so many health benefits that we really should all do some.

I continued running when I had persistent AF. I was fortunate that I was fairly asymptomatic so I carried on with my regular 5 runs a week albeit at a reduced pace.

Since a successful ablation in 2016 I’m back to exercising at will with no problems.

Keeping fit is one of the best things anyone can do. The health benefits are immense.

[CliveP]

Another thought. If you’ve been in nsr since 2019 why are you thinking about something that might not happen for many years if at all?

You might well not go into persistent AF.

I’ve been in nsr since 2016 and apart from occasional visits to this forum, I don’t think about AF at all. I might get struck by lightning but I don’t worry about that either. 🤷‍♂️

[Banana-man in reply to CliveP]

Your right I just wanted to here what people can do for exercise when in perm afib ,thanks

[Sixtyslidogirl]

I am 63 with PAF, waiting for an ablation. I run x 3 per week keeping my HR under 120, swim once, weights in the gym x 2 - HR goes higher in the gym but only momentarily so I cope with that ok. I get a few ectopics on exercise. What I have found with the running is that I am getting faster at the same HR, a known training effect which means my heart is becoming more efficient. What I don’t do any more is all out sustained effort. Tbh I feel great on this regime and am thankful I can do it.

I should add I am on apixaban pending the ablation, take magnesium (which I think made a big difference to ectopics), am eating the Zoe way, and have given up alcohol and caffeine.

[Banana-man in reply to Sixtyslidogirl]

I don't drink alcohol anymore , on eliquis too I do lots of walking on golf course and off. Great that paf doesn't slow you down much .thanks

[Omniscient1]

Yes, exercise is possible, I go running, to the gym, and god help me, Mrs omniscient drags me to ballroom dancing. The latter is more of a mind exercise than body though . If you're worried about it (entirely reasonable) then check with your doctor, I've asked them about my running and it's fine, apparently. I'm in permanent AF.

[Banana-man in reply to Omniscient1]

Sounds like exercise is possible from all the responses. Great news thanks

[Desanthony]

I have permanent Af started off as persistent at diagnosis. I have never stopped exercising circuits at the gym at least 4 times a week, long walks, cycling and swimming. I haven't been skiing much since diagnosis due to other problems such as total knee replacement and then Covid. I am hoping to go next Jan - would have gone this year but held up with interminable dental appointments to fix teeth - having a dental appointment every 10 days all the way through Feb then have a visit from grandchildren from US in March which will scupper all plans for this year. My only problem is finding insurance - used to have annual insurance through bank and had to pay a little extra because we went skiing in the US - Lake Tahoe - fantastic place, with son and children but now due to my age - just turned 80 the insurance for this is a little high. If I can't manage to get insurance for a skiing holiday out there thinking of getting them over here in Europe for a skiing holiday next year.

Find out if there are BHF returning to fitness classes at your local hospital or gym - if not some gyms do other remedial lessons for various problems and it may be OK for you to join in with them. Otherwise ask for a few one on one sessions with an instructor to help you get the best out of your exercise programme. When I first started going back after first diagnosis and after cardioversions I wore a Polar heart monitor with chest strap and wrist worn read out to try and ensure my heart rate didn't go above 130 during exercise. The classes run at the local gym were fantastic with a cardio nurse and physiotherapist present to checkus as we went through - I think I started on a Phase III class which started with gentle stretching and very gentle exercise and then a talk on how various things help with heart problems - from food and diet through stress and relaxation - this was done in a private room in the gym and we then graduated to the gym itself under supervision. I think the initial lessons were free but the two gym lessons a week at the end of the course cost £2.00 - but we are going back to 2018 so possibly much more - can't remember if they waived the cost if you were a member of the gym but have a suspicion they did.

[Banana-man in reply to Desanthony]

Thanks for the reply I too am going skiing next year to western Canada looking forward to it . My wife had knee replacement it went well she walks a lot. Great that you can do all the exercising. If I go into permanent afib it sounds like lots of people have no problem exercising.

[kurtgv]

I have had permanent AFIB for many years. I am 72 years old and a avid golfer (4 times a week). I go to the gym almost every day. I am on the prescription drug Eliquis (to avoid a stroke) with no side effects.

I may drag a little on the back nine but I am sure that the cardio excercise has really helped.

[Alphakiwi]

I find if i excersise to hard the af can set in worse. I find excersising on indoor bike is best and i can control my heart rate to never going over Z2 which is 94 for me at 82 years of age. So long and slow for me at 94 bpm helps immensely.Colin