Heart rates zones and exercise with heart disease

[LesleyJ59]

Hi, I'm on medication following a heart attack back in 2017 and recently turned 60. Other than bruising easily I'm fine. I teach Tai Chi so do a lot of exercise in that regard, however I find it hard to do much cardio exercise.

I recently joined a gym to use their machines and to swim in order to up my exercise levels. I have a fitbit which helps me to work out how much exercise I'm getting and it also tells me when I'm in the cardio range of heart rate. At present I do 20 minutes on the treadmill, then a bit of time on various weight machines, sometimes ten or 15 minutes on an exercise bike and I also try and get around 30 minutes swimming if the pool's not too busy.

My question is this - how many minutes of exercise in the cardio range should I be aiming for, and should I be doing any exercise at all in the peak range? Thanks in advance...

[Chappychap]

The advice of the NHS and the British Heart Foundation is a minimum of 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic exercise.

The 150 minute minimum is clear. Less clear is what constitutes "moderate aerobic exercise".

I had it defined in terms of heart rate during the cardio rehab course, it varies by age but for me (aged 62) I need to get my heart rate up around 100 bpm. That's probably more vigorous than most people would regard as "moderate". For example walking briskly (ie a pretty quick 3.5-4.0 mph pace) only gets my heart rate up to around 85 bpm, I have to walk briskly on quite hilly ground to get up to 100 bpm. Bottom line is a spot of gardening or housework is unlikely to qualify as "moderate aerobic", it's likely to require active gym sessions.

The other learning that came out of cardio rehab was the importance of a substantial 15 minute warm up and 10 minute cool down period.

Add all this together and it's quite a serious time commitment, say three gym sessions per week each consisting of 50 minutes plus a 15 minute warm up and a 10 minute cool down. That's not easy to fit into a busy week, but if that's what staying alive takes then I'm reconciled to making that time!

Good luck!

[LesleyJ59 in reply to Chappychap]

Thanks, yes I remember the warm up and cool down advice, when I had my HA I had taken up skipping and would welly straight into it without a warm up and wondered why my chest felt tight! I'm wondering if l need to customise the heart rate zones on my fitbit...

[sos007]

Without knowing the specifics of your overall cardiovascular health, generally speaking you should elevate your heart rate to over 120 bpm for at least 20 consecutive minutes.

Weight resistance is also important for health to increase your metabolic rate and to provide muscle and bone growth/maintenance. Depending on the pace you are on, you can aim for 30-45 minutes on the weight machines.

One caution is that if your overall workout exceeds one hour you will find it increasingly difficult over time to sustain your commitment to exercise. You may also want to alternate your workouts to focus one day on cardio and the next on weight training.

I am a 57 year old male (5' 10", 155 lbs), just before my 53rd birthday I had a triple bypass followed by 4 stents (I weighed 195 lbs then).

I gradually increased the degree of difficulty for both my cardio and resistance training as I felt my health improving.

Today I do a 25 minute HIIT workout on a treadmill one day, followed by 60 minutes the next on the weights. I walk around my neighbourhood every day so that I get at least 15,000 steps each day.

I also changed my diet after my surgery and now am on a whole-foods, plant-based diet. Health is 75% diet and 25% exercise. They are both necessary, but doing only one or the other is not sufficient. If you do not have a great diet then the exercise will only provide minimal improvement.

Good luck.

[Andyman]

I walk, run, weight train, cycle canoe/kayak. I don't worry about overdoing it or underdoing it. I just exercise and my body tells me enough or not enough. As others have said with a diet change it makes me feel healthier than I have ever been. But who knows. I just get on with life as much as my body let's me. Oh I'm 65. Had HA 7 years ago. Still going.

[LesleyJ59]

thanks for the answers. My diet is pretty good already, as hubby is vegetarian and I eat fish now and again. My arteries are fine, I had a blockage in a small blood vessel in the heart so there is a small area that is a little 'sluggish' or so I'm told. I'm on brilique, aspirin, atorvastatin, ramipril and amlodipine and bruise very easily.

Thanks for the advice on heart rate - I really struggle to keep it in the cardio range, it's very boring slogging away on the treadmill, and my rate goes up and down on the weights machines as I move from one to another.

It's easier to get higher heart rates on an exercise bike but I'm still unsure how high to take my heart rate, as I did get to peak for a short while once, but was pretty wiped out after. I'll try to get advice from the cardiac nurses at the hospital if I can on that.

[Zzr93]

I’m going to see my surgeon this afternoon!! And that is going to be one of my first questions!!!! I’m 14 weeks after triple bypass and not had any re-hab so far so I have quite a few questions regarding heart rates, etc. I do understand though everyone has different circumstances but will post what answers I get.

[Zzr93]

Well, had a good chat with regards to how I’m doing with my recovery with a consultant from the cardio team. Had ecg etc and everything seems to be going ok.Heart rate while exercising was discussed, and was told 60/70% of max heart rate which for me is around the 120 mark. Been told to do 30 min exercise 3 times a week.

And will be trying a slight increase in the ramaprill.

Feel much better now I’ve had a chat, and I can focus on getting fitter.