Exercise for cardiac patients-Thanks :)

[Quila5741]

Would love to know if any other people with cardiac conditions similar to myself. I have a mitral valve replaced and aortic due to be replaced due to moderate regurgitation that’s requires replacement. So I’m trying to find the right amount exercise (want to push myself to loose max weight but not if it’s going to cause my heart too much pressure). Not looking for anything in specific just wondered if anyone is willing to share their thoughts, if anyone knows any good heart health conscience weight loss tips, or even better if you have a personal experience your willing to share as I think I need a second opinion from people who understand?

I’d love to loose a couple stone before my surgery but the fatigue from my heart and not being active in lock down has made this a little more challenging. Thanks for your time

[Derbados]

I think the most sensible thing to do is ask your doctor.

I have Aortic Stenosis with slight regurgitation. I have not been booked in for a replacement yet. I think walking is possibly the easiest form of exercise you can do. I still manage an hour's walk everyday and can fit in around 8,000 steps in that time. I used to run but it can make me feel poorly for a few days afterwards. My cardiologist told me not to lift heavy weights as the exertion can place a lot of pressure on your system. I have a Fitbit watch and use their premium service. It gives lots of guided exercise programs. You could download the Ordinance Survey App for your phone. It has a free set of maps that are pretty basic, or you could purchase your local map and add it to the app via a code. It has loads of walks and as it uses your phone's GPS, you always know where you are. Me and my GF have discovered many brilliant walks in our local area we never know existed if it hadn't of been for lockdown.

You could go onto YouTube and look up "Begginer home exercise routines" and start gently. I know Jo Wicks is quite famous and has lots of free workouts on YouTube. Yoga or Tai Chi can also be quite gentle (although positional yoga you need to be careful with) and again, you can prob find free vids on youtube.

Hope it helps.

[Mikedabike]

Hi, A difficult one this, and this is just a personal viewpoint, but if you’re trying to get fitter without pushing it too much, as this obviously makes sense with your condition, you would need to try to monitor your eating habits as well. I will use my own case as an example. I have always been very fit and active. I had an AVR in December 2019. Under normal circumstances I would have said just do plenty of light exercise, such as simple brisk walking. In my case though as 2019 progressed I went from completing the Pennine Way, then 10 days later cycling in the Italian Dolomites (I know how lucky I was). However within weeks my condition worsened and I got out of breath doing simple tasks such as bending down to tie my shoelaces, or doing a short dog walk. I realised that even simple walking was out of the question. As soon as I stopped exercising my weight began to creep up. This will not be everyone’s cup of tea but my own solution was to experiment with swapping to a vegetarian diet. I didn’t lose a great deal of weight, but at least I didn’t put any more weight on. I was genuinely shocked that while I was on the veggie diet, not only did I really enjoy it, but I didn’t miss meat in the slightest. After my successful surgery, all thoughts of monitoring what I ate went out of the window. As my body slowly recovered I just ate anything that was put in front of me. I am now just nearly 7 months post surgery and getting fitter by the day, however my weight isn’t shifting as I had hoped. I’ve not done it yet, but I want to and intend to return to a mainly vegetarian diet. Note the word - mainly. If you are still at the stage where walking is possible without too much strain then I would still say that is the way to go. Please note I am in no way a medical professional, and this is just a personal viewpoint. Good luck.