Curious to know what people do exercise wise to keep themselves ticking over?
Pre heart attack I did a lot of walking, aswell as being healthy, I always found it a good release to relax, put on a podcast and just chill for an hour or so. Was never one for running, purely because I would blow out my backside if I did!
I’m back into my walking and also been doing quite a bit swimming, cardiologist told me it’s probably the best best form of exercise you can do for cardio. Sure he also said aerobics was really good, not tried that yet!
Thanks.
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ROBBO36
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I do lots of brisk walking, probably 45mins-1hr most days of the week. I listen to music and even if I’ve woken in a bad mood, I feel better by the time I come home. Cardiac rehab helped me understand what I could do safely and what range I needed to get my heart rate into.
Hello robbo36, rather than giving specific advice can I just ask were offered heart rehab?
The reason I mention this is that part of the job of the wonderful nurses who do this isassess you over 8 weeks and you do a tailored exercise routine dependent on what they consider you are capable are off, using exercise bikes. treadmills, rowing machines etc.
As my knees are rubbish can't walk great distances, but I do aqua aerobics twice a week. We do have one make who braved a class of ladies. It does raise the heart rate
I recently joined a gym bout few months back trying to keep myself fit plus great practice for an exercise test, trying to build up my exercise tolerance aswell I think it's working atleast I hope it is 😅. Hope your exercise is going well 😊
Find something you like and try to do it regularly. Walking, swimming, cycling is what I do in varying degrees and frequency, plus gardening and outside physical work as a volunteer. I'd love to do more and did in earlier years but age and body wont allow me to. But exercise should be enjoyable, not a chore. I tried the gym but it was boring. Next respect and listen to your body. If it tells you are doing too much, wind it back a touch until you find where you just feel you have just done enough. It's no good walking six miles, when you should only have done three, and then find you can't walk at all for a week because your dodgy knees are really sore and need to settle down again. I used to do yoga, I loved it, but had to give it up because it upset my hiatus hernia, and made my knees and hips sore.
The NHS recommend a minimum of 150 minutes per week of exercise. And that's fairly serious exercise twhich for many of us will mean getting our heart rate to over 100 beats per minute and then keeping it there.
A bit of gardening or walking the dog is unlikely to deliver that level of exertion. It will probably need some kind of structured aerobic exercise programme. In addition it's critical that following a heart incident we stick to the extended warm up and cool down procedures. These can add another fifteen minutes to an exercise session.
Consequently I now go to the gym for an hour, five times per week. Actually I layer a programme of strength training on top of that, so it adds up to an even bigger commitment.
I get it.
It's a really big ask, and one that's extremely difficult to fit into our busy lives. If you have a family it just makes it even more difficult to find the time, the motivation, the energy, and even the money.
But that's what the collective wisdom of the NHS believes is what's required to keep us healthy and well.
I was very fit pre HA, did lots of gym and walking. Post HA I’ve accepted I’ll never get back to that level of exercise which is a positive as I still do a lot of exercise but don’t push myself and enjoy it more.
I’ve gradually ( with rehab at first who then referred me to the gym and well-being sessions) built up to the following ( I’ve also osteoarthritis so mixing up the type of exercise is good).
Swimming twice a week ( 2 miles a week in total)
Gym - cardio - exercise bike and treadmill ( intermittent walking and slow jogging twice a week. Now doing a bit of HITS on the bike).
I’ve been getting a bit board of gym so for one of the sessions I’m going to try walking football instead. I’ve done it once brilliant good fun and burnt over 200 calories.
I do pilâtes once à week.
Well-being class once a week - you get out of it what you put in.
Badminton once a week. I can only do this In doubles as in singles you have to be a lot quicker to cover the court.
My aim this year is to walk up Moel Ffammau and I’d like to get an electric bike. I used to bike a bit but would struggle with some hills now so think electric is a good idea.
Good luck, be flexible in what you do, enjoy what you do, and don’t be afraid to try new things.
Electric bikes are really useful. I converted my Specialized hybrid to electric with a front wheel kit powered from a bottle battery. A good bike converted rather than something costing two or three times as much of dubious quality. You can set them up to put in as much or little power as you want and this is really useful when going up hills, and facing strong winds.
I used to be a hard core cyclist, pre HA/CA. Now I mostly brisk walk 45 minutes a day, plus some no so hardcore cycling on weekends. I haven't gotten over the mental hurdle of fearing another CA whilst cycling hard. Maybe I never will. I am cleared to ride without worry, tho, provided I warm up carefully, cool down and don't go anaerobic.
I also do bodyweight and elastic band exercises. I'm also a bit afraid of going to the gym and aggressively pumping iron, not that I did it before but just a bit concerned about going to max effort.
Just be careful FIT is not necessary Healthy. Say your on a 10mg Beta Blocker you will struggle to achieve anything like the HR to increase your Health.
Just Do what you enjoy doing, Just Do what makes you feel good, Just Don't fret over not being able to do a 5k parkrun. We are all different and we all have different things wrong with our Hearts. One size doesn't fit all when it comes to Exercise.
Mainly walking - between 2.5/3.5 miles daily - and gym twice weekly. Gardening is now starting to kick in for the next few months. I also do spinning but that’s with a spinning wheel so probably doesn’t count but at least I won’t get dvts.
Hi ROBB you are doing all the right exercises. My cardiologist and my doctor said swimming and walking are the best exercises to do. I also do Aqua aerobics.
I had 2 stents inserted back in February. Thankfully no heart attack beforehand but it was heading that way (I had a HA in both 2010 and 2021, this time it was unstable angina).
I'm waiting to hear from the local NHS Steps To Health for cardiac rehab but they are taking their time. In the meantime I have been going for daily walks and as I had been walking regularly before getting two stents I have found it relatively easy to increase the length of time I walk. I am currently doing 2 x 20-30 minute walks per day (one on the morning, one on the afternoon) and will add in an evening 20 minute walk once the nights are lighter beyond 9pm.
The only problems I have at present is that I can't walk much beyond 20 /30 minutes as I have osteoarthritis in both knees so if I overdo it I can have problems with stiffness for a day or two. I also still lack stamina during the day and am keen to get the cardiac rehab started, as much as anything else because one of local gyms near me is offering a 12 week free membership for anyone has done cardiac rehab and I'm keen to join to use their bikes, cross trainer etc. I've tried chasing up the cardiac rehab but am getting nowhere. I keep thinking it's just never going to happen.
First off talk to your cardiac nurse, I didn't and got the excersise to Hart rate by age stuff from the net, did the age calculation and got 167 BPM. So that was my total, and when shouty Hillary gave me her weekly phone call I in pride and anticipation of a well done Danny told her.She explained in short words that Beata blockers affect the Hart rate by age stuff, big time apparently my correct target was 141 , she suggested that perhaps I was a total prat with a deep desire to return to Wolverhampton for another stay, avoid that at all costs cardiac nurses become shouty at times.
Excersise wise I take a short walk three times a week about a mile and a half, and a long walk three times a week around four and a half miles, and I aim for a three mph pace, and some singing just because I like singing, well actually it also uses more lungy stuff and making the lungs pump is a good thing.
Another thing that I do is rake the lawn, I don't use the grass box when I cut it because I noticed that clearing up the leaves in autumn was a good cardio exercise, grass clippings do the same thing, just do it with feeling.
Joining a gym and having a regular weekly visit is a good one, you meet new people and get fit, and perhaps consider joining a ramblers group.
I also like rowing another good cardio.
It's a case finding the excersise that you best enjoy, as a hearty working out is a part of your life now,find one's that add to the pleasure of your life because if you find it fun or pleasurable you will get more from it. And that adds to a worthwhile longer lifetime, not a chore to be done before you do the stuff that you really want to do.
Good luck and best wishes,Dan.
PS,why not go for a swim, a bit of a splash sounds like a good way to spend some time 😉
After pericarditis and a bad AF (which got cleared eventually), a twenty minute fast walk to start the day - up to 118 steps a minute using phone app but worked up to that over some months, started at around 100. And gentle cardio in 5 minute bursts every few hours (gentle squats + 5kg dumbell lifting to get up to around 110 bpm). Weekends manage seven or eight mile walks but take it easy on hill ascents. Using HRV apps - pulseHRV is good free one - to track fitness and physical stress (stress can creep up on you sometimes), I get much more tired than I used to do for the same amount of exercising.
Hi ROBBO I suppose it depends on your circumstances, what happened as a result of your heart attack, your meds and what you enjoy.
I was lucky I did not have a heart attack as my blocked artery was picked up before (probably shortly before) a heart attack. Cardiac rehab was great at building up to a basic level and then you can just take it from there.
Since the stent was put in 7 months ago I have found out just how much the blocked artery was holding me back. After the cardiac rehab I have been setting myself monthly stretch targets to see how much I can gradually improve.
So now I do weekly 5k parkruns, the stent knocked 10-15% off my time immediately and last weekend I had improved by 18% on my pre stent times so it sort of feels like cheating but its fun now to be overtaking some people. I suppose my biggest risk is if my knees and ankles can cope with the additional strain!
As well as parkrun;
- running club (harriers) training once a week and also
- gradually building distance in club 10km run once a week (although I am at the back of the pack there - you can see my next challenge).
- Dumbbell session once a week at home to maintain strength as I think you loose functional strength with age (63 and not getting any younger if you ask).
Being retired I have the luxury of time and have stopped using the car for trips under 5 miles. Last week was exceptional but my Garmin said I therefore clocked up 100km walking and running with a few podcasts and yes I know I should do swimming but, you know, paying to join a gym doesn't seem right.
Thanks very much for all the really helpful and insightful replies.
It’s really interesting to hear what everyone is up to and the various routines you have. Glad to see everyone is doing something to keep themselves fit and healthy.
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