Let me start by saying this is in no way meant to disrespect, disregard, belittle or undermine anybody who loves and enjoys exercise
But how much does it matter within the confines of recovery?
I personally dislike exercise greatly always have always will, have tried lots of different forms and have never found any of them enjoyable, just something to suffer and get through, including cardio rehab classes, even at school I opted to learn the violin rather then take part in javelin classes, (although I have say there was many a lesson when I think my music teacher had wished she had a javelin!)
I happy to undertake and understand life style changes, diet, no drinking alcohol, no smoking, losing weight, keeping BP and cholesterol levels low and being compliant taking meds
I am no couch potato, I work and walk every lunch break, not far or fast but I am active, weekends spent shopping, housework and grandchildren but formal exercise nope not for me. I am wrong?
Written by
mits123
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I'm not a huge fan of exercise but I do try and ensure I do some. That said, it is important to remember that you can't outrun a bad diet. What you put in your mouth will have a much greater effect on your health than ensuring you hit 10,000 steps per day.
You are so right, or at least to my way of thinking, I would much rather expend energy on researching, shopping for and cooking from scratch a delicious healthy, low in everything meal then hoofing it round the park, not that there is anything wrong with park runs, I am happy shouting encouragement from the side lines then doing the running 😄
by “exercise” do you mean “going to the gym”. Or “couch to 5k in three months? If these are things that turn you off - join the club!
There are little techniques like getting off the bus two stops earlier, or when you go to the supermarket park as far from the entrance as you can. Walk up the stairs not get in the lift. Then there’s doing things you enjoy - dancing? walking (that’s what I do) in the park/countryside? bowls? gardening?
If you are new to exercise start small say ten or fifteen minutes, where you are. Breathing a bit heavier but not getting up a sweat
If it feels like punishment you won’t continue with it, so try and find something you like. Have you got a friend you can do it with, whatever “it”may be?
Are you seeing a gp for anything currently? If you are (and you live in the UK) your doctor’s group of surgeries employs someone called a “social prescriber”. Speak to the receptionist at the surgery to see if you can speak to him or her direct, or you may need to speak to your doc first. Social prescribers point you in the right direction for help outside the health service, may things are free.
Thanks Rosie I understand what you are saying and believe me in my many years I have tried everything on my own and with friends, nearly threw my bestie out of a first floor window (by accident) once in a salsa class. Nearly half drowned in an aqua class, we never did the get the hang of those flotation worms , have joined many gym's, fallen off bikes, roller and ice skates, tried running but pulled a muscle in my back trying to get the sports bra on, so as you maybe can see, really think exercise is not for me.
I, believe it not, actually work in a GP surgery, and yes the social prescribers are very informative
The advice concerning things to do to lower heart health risk includes recommendations on diet, exercise, body weight control, alcohol and smoking. My view is there no definitive right or wrong in deciding not to rigorously follow these recommendations, with the sole exception of smoking. However the farther away from the recommendations you choose to be the worse the outcome could be, so its all a matter of degree. But if you feel comfortable with your decision and accept the risks because it suits you and your lifestyle so be it, and that is therefore right for you, but may not be strictly the right thing to be doing against the recommendations. Finally there will not be many people out there who follow all the recommendations to the letter, I certainly don't.
Thank you for being honest, it is only the exercise recommendation I am not following, have never drank alcohol, gave up smoking 6 months ago, before HA, (I knew that wasn't going to end well) religiously take meds, all 7 of them and am as we speak cooking a BHF chicken curry
I just go onto the BHF website, click on menu, click on recipes and then search for whatever I have, so for example if I have some salmon or chicken it will show you a list of recipes for that food group, they are easy to follow, very tasty and are healthy
Shopping, housework, employment, and certainly grandchildren all count as exercise. So does cooking, apparently, so you can enjoy your curry all the more!🍛🙂
Excercise...
For some it's a foreign word, for some it's having a nice walk with or witout company,for some it's cycling, for some it's hitting the weights, for some it's doing some good hours gardening, for some it's martial arts, for some it's an cardio session in the gym.
As long as you stay away from the 'it's a foreign word' and do what you can from and any of the others which suit you then it counts as a positive step.
But one thing we can't get away from is Excercise is important for health both physical and mental.
You raise a very good point and I can understand your attitude totally.
For a start let me say is you already some exercise already, and therefore you can build on that, your daily walks try and go a bit further (the next lamp challenge may be one) or a bit quicker.
You don't have to raise the level by much a continual slow improvement is better than a quick one that you don't maintain, (that is just not me saying but my local heart rehab team would fully agree). I would also say celebrate each success, even if it only to say to yourself I had a really good walk today, (it sounds strange but I do believe it helps).
As for other areas I am sure the grandchildren must be 'good exercise', and the carrying of shopping also how about stairs when i was in out heart out patients after my event I heard one old gentlemen tell the staff he was doing his stairs up to 10 times a day, and they were well chuffed for him. Now spring is coming there is the garden as well.
I go the gym but frankly never enjoyed it previously, however as I know it is leading to a improved life i see a real benefit from doing it. The one other one thing is you can't underestimate the power of music, i now but my buds on let the music flow and it seems my exercise time passes you like that!
I’ll probably be the one that gives you the answer you don’t want! I think exercise is crucial. I do 20 mins of yoga for flexibility followed by a 2 mile walk before work. I do a 20 min high intensity cardio workout (usually spin) at lunchtime to throttle up the engine and get out of breath and sweaty and sometimes another 20 min session for strength after work. I don’t do anything structured at weekends. I absolutely hate it, every minute of it. I can’t wait to get it over with, but each session is only short, so I just grin and bear it. You cannot escape the fact that exercise strengthens the heart muscle, lowers resting HR and BP, raises good and lowers bad cholesterol, makes blood vessels more flexible and improves the management of blood sugar levels. Regardless of its importance relative to diet, if you do not exercise you do not take all the opportunity available to you to lower your risk. What I will say is that regular exercise like this, even in small bite size chunks, does have a dramatic effect on your overall fitness over time - you just feel better and that makes it easier to motivate yourself to get the job done (I even managed to do 20 mins daily spin before lunch on an all inclusive holiday instead of laying on a sunbed!) I would recommend finding something you can do every day for just 20mins that is really hard and uncomfortable, gets you sweaty and out of breath and then just hate it and suck it up. Do that for a couple of months then ask yourself if you are glad you did it. I bet you will be. You’ll still hate it, that never goes away, but you’ll get used to it and be glad you did it. Sorry.
Totally agree with the exercise piece, the important thing is it doesn't have to be mind numbing or hard.I do cycling, the recommendation is 80% zone 2 which is a level you have a conversation at, zone 2 activates the mitochondria which burn fat for fuel and obviously does you a lot of favours. I do that four days a week, once a week a do a Vo2 max type of workout which is the recommendation.
Working flat out every exercise regime and day doesn't burn fat, zone 2 does that. Flat out burns glucose from your stores which you will fill up next time you eat, you won't lose weight or even keep it down that way and you will over train.
Exactly. I'm also a cyclist and do Zone 2 (HR, not power) 90% of the time. My cardiologist doesn't really want me to stay near my max HR for long periods of time anyway, so I'm basically toodling along, enjoying the scenery, these days. But it's totally fine.
You are active in your own way. I hated PE at school because I couldn't run and fell over all the time. Couldn't hit an ball or throw one . But funny enough I could throw a javelin. This was at high school. At infants and junior school PE was more fun still couldn't do any of the above and learning to swim took ages as I couldn't co ordinate my limbs. I have been in constant pain with my legs and fell at lot as a child. My parents told it was growing pains and I was clumsy.
At high school the school was only 10 years old and had its own swimming but wasn't big like the one I learnt to swim in . And every time I swam on the surface I ended up underwater. I could swim fine under water.
I will get to the point shortly as I ramble.
My health and mobility got lot worse in 1988 when I started having limb jerks.
My husband just said we alter our way of life to suit you. I started to put on weight when I was 8 and my parents never put a halt to what I ate but I now understand way. Will get to the point bare with me. I was over 19st . I went in a wheelchair as the children where 4 and 8 months and my husband said we would be a normal family and he kept his word until he died aged 47 20 years ago.
As the children got older I just used my stick which I had used since I was 29.
After my husband died had both parents and mother in law to look after. Mom died in 2017 . I became very ill after her funeral. I just thought life had caught up with me and it was my body saying rest. Turns out I had jaundice caused by 2 tablets I had been on since 1992 to help with my neurological symptoms. Seriously ill for 5 months then being told by my gastrologist they people with my bilirubin levels normally died. Was a wake up call . I decided what I wanted out of life now I had no one dependant on me. Only 3 things move house ,lose weight and get fit.
Moved to my bungalow in 2019. When I got to 15st 7lb joined a Age UK community fit club. I hated exercise but it's what I wanted to do. The instructor gave me a chair did the leg exercises holding the chair and sat down for the arm ones. But it was a fun group and found I liked exercises. When I moved here joined a sit fit class but Covid closed it but carried on losing weight and did exercises at home.
I have lost 7st was size 32 now 16 . I had joined an active ageing sit fit class which was GP referral for 12 weeks free. But been going to my new sit fit class for over a year £5 for 60-70 mins our instructor likes us to do all she planned. My husband would laugh his socks off me liking exercise but I do and do them at home days I don't go out.
Because of my move I finally got diagnosed with 2 things I was born with and my life makes sense . Diagnosis with hole in the side of my heart it's small in 2020 then diagnosed with PAF in 2021 in Flecainide and Apixaban. January 2020 saw my new neurologist January and he put me on Clonazepam and after 32 years and 4 seizures after 2 weeks my limbs where still. He had my blood genetically tested the whole genome. Had the results March 2022 . First April. 2023 found out I was also born with the rare hereditary Hyperekplexia gene mutation SLC6A5 type 3. One of the effects of HPX is babies and children have difficulty eating . I was very skinny so my parents must have been so happy when I started to eat more. And when I was a teenager and wanted to diet my parents said it was puppy fat and it would go 🤦😂
I love going to my sit fit class there are usually 14 of us I am the youngest in the class I will be 66 next month oldest member 91. Sit fit isn't an easy option but I can do the exercises easier than I can walk. This week we have circuit training but don't think gym ..
But everyone is different. I couldn't go to a gym or swimming . Walking is difficult but I still go out with my stick . But found sit fit suits me. My hands tremble all the time and I lack strength especially in my arms so exercise helps . But it's not just the exercises I love but the social aspect. One of the ladies uses a rolling walker and is bend at nearly 90° but she can do most of the exercises.
We are all different and it surprised me I like exercise . But everyone must do what makes them happy. My brother swims every morning at 6.30 doing 50 lengths of a large pool. He doesn't have HPX but does have permanent AF and 2 stents in his heart had angina and a mini stroke . Swimming for him is the best exercise.
I got there in the end hope it makes sense why I like exercise.
I think you answered your own question ! No couch potato .. you consider yourself active 👍🏻. You walk .. All the advice for cardiac e I very starts with getting out of the hospital bed and progressing to walking . Well done 👍🏻 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Walking is exercise and cardio eith fresh air which isxessential, shopping is weight lifting and grandchildren are certainly exercise. You are definitely doing exercise, active and not a couch potato. Enjoy
All other things being equal, having a reasonable level of fitness (see NHS recommendations on weekly exercise) will not only extend your lifespan, but also your healthspan- that is the the length of time you are generally healthy and exercise is important to keep your heart healthy. What can actually be achieved during recovery will be very individual but sometimes it’s in our own best interests to not just do what we enjoy.
From what I've read, it's part and parcel of a prevention/recovery program, along with diet and medication. Think of it as a three-legged stool. Although I think diet and meds are probably more key.
I would also say that from my understanding, regular moderate excercise confers the same benefits as high-intensity workouts, at least for longevity. So if you walk a mile every day, you're probably helping your heart. Also, the majority of us here are probably at least in middle age, so it's important for your overall health to stay mobile and strong. I've been given a gift by surviving cardiac arrest out of hospital, so I want to do my best to honor it.
I agree that if it feels like work, you're not going to do it, but for me it's always been important to find something fun, or have a goal. We went on vacation a few weeks ago and booked a kayak trip with a guide. So I went to the gym for a few months with the goal of using the rowing machine 20 minutes a day, plus stretching, so I would be fit for the trip. (It wasn't that hard, but as I said, I wanted a goal)
I'm hearing you and I have nothing but respect for those here who do exercise. Unfortunately I hate exercise too, as does my husband, so I get no encouragement there. My cardiologist says walking is the best exercise for everything, including lifting your mood etc. I always mean to walk but at the moment here in Qld it's too hot even in the mornings and evenings - we are experiencing the third hottest summer since records began. The only way for me is to walk the airconditioned shopping centres - but I have to try not to get waylaid by the shops. 😉 Incidentally my son has a fully working gym underneath his house and can't go a day without working out. Didn't get it from his parents.
My cousin is a sports psychologist and says walking is the finest exercise out so I just do as much as I'm able. Walking in any form will exercise heart, lungs, muscles and strengthen bones. I have taken to chair yoga to increase flexibility but going to a gym, running or cycling fills me with horror. You have to do what suits you and take into account your energy levels.
Hi, I like your honesty about exercise, as when I go to the gym I do x-trainer for half hour because it does me a world of good afterwards but its a Slog and can be boring as for sit down weights that's not to bad, I prefer like yourself walking and on my Electric Bike in the forestries that is fine and enjoy, I enjoy chat in-between workout 3 x per week or better still outdoors in God's fresh air exercise, Great Post👍 I say stick to what you like and don't mits 123
Thank you all for your reply, opinions and encouragement. It seems, as has been said before, like everything in life, one size does not fit all.My concern was that I was hampering my recovery by not doing what so many of you love doing, running for miles, cycling into next week and hours in the gym, hats off and respect to all you fit hearties but sometimes it is just demoralising for us tortoises but I can see, through the response on here, that anything is better then nothing and with a few adjustments you can exercise without exercising, if that makes sense (it did to me in my head anyway)
Thanks again and have yourselves a happy healthy sunday
if you can’t find something you like it must be difficult. But doing something no matter how small is better than nothing. Like someone said on here getting of the bus a few stops early and walking.
You can’t escape the research though. And I admit I’m biased as the doctor told me after my massive heart attack ( caused by a blood clot when I had long covid. No other risk factors at all and other coronary arteries in good nick), the only reason I was mentally and physically intact was because I was fit enough to cope with the STEMI and cardiac arrest.
I now have some left ventricular failure and arrhythmias but do some form of exercise 5/6 days a week. Different than before the heart stuff but I believe in use it or loose it.
Good luck to you with whatever you decide it’s always our own choices on the path we take.
The main thing is to get moving, increasing your heart rate a bit and blood circulation, using your muscles so they don't weaken. How you do it is up to you. I think gardening and housework count as much as going to the gym.
I’ve not been a fan of organised exercise until post OHS. It has been an integral part of my recovery and has, I believe, been partly why I’ve recovered so well.
I now do a weekly parkrun and a weekly exercise class. I miss it when unable to take part. I can therefore say I’m now a fan of doing some ‘keep fit’ style exercise.
Hi I am with you on the excercise, I just don't enjoy it at all, I try and go for walks but our Scottish weather is not great and most of the time and I end up driving everywhere. I go a walk for about two days and then I find an excuse not to bother 😱 after having bowel surgery 4 weeks ago I am trying to go for a walk every day and I have re hab in a couple of weeks (I thought you only got it after a heart event) maybe that will encourage me to do more. Char
Double rehab lucky you 😄🤔 I think the rehab shows us what we can do, the rest is up to us, although I must say in your case you have been through a lot and are still going strong so you must be doing something right
Thanks but I have to say half the time I don't feel it 🙄my heart re hab was awful it was just an excercise video because we were in lockdown it definitely didn't encourage me to do more, and with no monitoring I was a bit scared to do much anyway. This rehab is in a council facility and not the hospital and at the moment I have no idea what it will entail but I will definitely pop along and find out. Char
i have not read the other responses so i hope that i won't be going against the grain when I say that i don't like "Exercise" either, nor do i appreciate the "no pain, no gain", keep pushing and striving approach which is so exhausting and depressing for some of us
I feel that it is important to be active, but within your own limits - particularly during recovery periods i advocate a gentle approach, with small achievable steps which lead to success - it also works beyond recovery, small changes are easier, more manageable and sutainable than major shifts which need a lot of adjustment and adaptation
we can't all be high performance athletes, but we can keep our bodies moving, supple and functioning in a way which keeps us doing what we want and need to do, within whatever limits we may have
I don't think there is a "grain" on the thread, it is fairly even conversation so you are ok, yes what you say is totally correct, we have to find our level or it is not possible to sustain, consultant's words of wisdom on diet was eat healthy but not restrictive or you will fail, I think this could apply to a lot of things, exercise included, as you say know your limits
As a lifelong exerciser I have a personal bias, but two things to add.
1. There are amazing chemical rewards to exercise. I don't love jogging or all of the challenging workouts in the gym, but I feel incredible afterwards. The endorphins and dopamine set me off dancing my way home into the shower. It's essential to my mental health and gives me an enormous sense of achievement.
2. I exercise because, if I have the privilege of growing old, I want to be mobile and strong enough to maintain my independence as long as possible. As I approach menopause and expect a decrease in bone density, having muscular strength, coordination and balance will safeguard against falls and breakages.
It can be a bit of a mission to find the exercise that works for you, but it's worth it when you find it.
Exercise is important to your recovery , reducing your future risks, and for everyone as part of a healthy lifestyle, that's a given.That said exercise should also be something you enjoy and not a chore, otherwise you just don't stick at it.
And Exercise Guilt , or hiding out on the sofa and doing even less than you would normally do because you really can't stomach the idea of doing those stretches or going to the gym is a thing that we can all suffer , and in some cases it can spiral.
Much like it's diet equivalent of sitting scoffing half a bag of doughnuts because you can't face a salad .
One thing everyone needs to consider is that not all exercise involves the gym.
We do a lot of coincidental exercise , and even Cardio, within our day , in some cases if you have a physical job , look after children, or do a lot around the house and garden additional " designated exercise " may not be what you need to add in to your busy day, you might benefit from relaxing activities instead.
Cleaning your shower cubicle, vacuuming / scrubbing the floors, or hand washing the car over 30 minutes uses all muscle groups and uses the same calories and gives a workout equivalent to a 20 Minute Spin Class or 40 minutes of weights. It's part of the reason that jobs like these need to be avoided not long after event and done with care as you recover.
The same is true when stripping and remaking the beds or doing the gardening.
Even half an hour ironing and putting the clothes away is equivalent to 20 minutes of water aerobics. Playing with children can be as good for you as a 40 minute hike, especially if you choose to do some physical activities like hide and seek, hopscotch or going on a scavenger hunt.
Even window shopping and carrying shopping bags is a form of coincidental exercise , and not just for your credit card!
It's seeing what you do in your lifestyle , working out if you need additional exercise, and exploring which types of physical activities that you are going to enjoy that counts, Keeping physically active throughout the day is the key not getting your personal best fir doing 5K on a treadmill (it doesn't need to be at a class or for a specific amount of time).
Walking little and often throughout the day is great, so is playing with children. Finding unusual or fun exercise activities , like dancing with your friends or taking a salsa class, playing with your dog, kayaking or riding to sight see, building a fort in the woods or volunteering to help clear a green space in your Community or doing a beach clean can be great alternatives to traditional exercise activities if you still need to add more physical play into your week. You can find it will make you want to get to your next activity rather than dreading it.
So you may not like Exercises but it's doesn't mean you can't exercise and still feel like you are happy doing it.
I've always had physical jobs and still do , when I went to cardio rehab i told them straight away from the outset dont ask me to go to the gym as I do enough at work . I bought a smart watch post HA and found out i walk between 4 and 6 miles per day at work which i didnt realise , so dont think you do nothing, get a smart watch and itll probably surprise you how much you do .Take care
I CAN'T do exercise. I'm in a wheelchair but I do keep myself mobile as much as possible. Taking a steady walk each day or just walking around the house frequently, cleaning, hoovering or gardening or washing the windows is all exercise. You don't have to run a marathon or go to the gym.
I am of similar age and my idea of exercise is like yours. I think the most important thing to focus on is that you have the strength and stamina to live your life, can I walk briskly or climb stairs without getting winded. Am I flexible enough to lift and bend without injury. Do I have the ability to get up off the floor or a chair or out of the tub. That is what to focus so ,no gym required, just keep lifting, walking and be active in the course of your daily activities. A great exercise is to get on the floor many times and get up again, do it every day and like walking it uses and strengthens important muscles, especially as we age and things naturally get a little stiff. The use it or lose it idea.
I must admit the months leading up to my HA I was finding it progressively harder to walk briskly, get down on the floor or indeed up again without assistance, I have found since the HA and stent I can walk faster, cross my legs yoga style whilst sitting and roll around the floor with the grandkids, even skipping and hopping with the 6 year devil who encourages/dares nanny to do things not suitable for our age group 😅😱
That's so great. The good thing about what you said is that when you noticed something was changing in your ability to do the things you have always done you did something about it. If you were not active in your life you would have just thought you are getting old and old hurts, which is true if you are sedentary. that is the killer when speaking about exercise to be healthy.
For me, it's been a question of balance. I realise that what you consume and how much you move about will affect your health. I had never been in a gym until cardio-rehab, which was life changing. However, when I was discharged, I had learned enough to keep my heart healthy.
The nurse who discharged me assured me I did not need to take up gym membership, but prescribed an exercise regime to do at home which I have adapted over the years. I try to follow this evolved plan 4 or 5 days a week, but I was instructed by a cardiac nurse to only do intensive exercise on alternate days - so people who exercise intensively 7-days a week are possibly at risk.
My regime is hardly 'intensive' -
I start with stretching exercises for a few minutes, this prevents me injuring myself. Then I use my static bicycle for 15-minutes over a distance of 5Km and increase the resistance dial every five minutes. This gets my heart rate up to about 120bpm, which is what the hospital advised is safe for me.
Then I do some squats (about 20 if I'm up to it), followed by 10 to 15 lateral rises (arms outstretched to the side) with weights (only 2Kg). Then I finish with 10 hamstring stretches. That's it.
I've got a pedometer but have never counted my steps. I'm fortunate to live in a rural area, so walking is a joyful and free activity, and often a necessity because we have no public transport within 4-miles.
I have a handheld ECG monitor, but I rarely use it. I certainly don't have a 'fitbit' of any constant heart rate monitor. I avoid being obsessive about statistics, so I try not to look at the display on the exercise bike - I listen to music and set an alarm for 15 minutes. After the most intensive part of the exercise I will check my heart rate and rhythm, and O2 level, using a finger monitor.
I find I feel so much better with some daily exercise and my heart behaves better too. I hated exercising too, but knowing my family history, I forced myself to do some good aerobic exercise. After a few months I found I didn’t hate it! I’ll admit, a treadmill can be mind numbing, so at the gym I would listen to books or watch tv. Now with my own treadmill at home, it comes with a massive selection of workouts filmed all over the world, with engaging trainers. And walking is probably the best thing you can do! If no other exercise interests you, keep walking!
I hate exercise, I tried doing C25K, soon discovered I can't run!!I do however have 4 labradors, so I walk them individually every day, I tend to get in about 15000 steps most days just from walking them, then there's the house work etc, most of our meals are cooked from scratch (by me😜) , I do drink, but , not every day, I make sure to have 4-5 days of no drinking every week, have never smoked, so I've decided that for me it's enough, not really bothered what anyone else thinks tbh.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
APPROPRIATE EXERCISE?
Exercise????
Stage 4 rehab....
Exercise routines 
