Table of contents:
- Types of exercise for heart disease patients
- 1. On foot
- 2. Taichi
- 3. Swimming
- 4. Cycling
- Exercise guide for heart disease patients
- 1. Make sure beforehand whether to exercise or not
- 2. Obey the basic rules of exercising properly
- 3. Increase the intensity slowly
- 4. Ensure adequate nutrition and fluid intake
- 5. Monitor the condition of the body during exercise
For people with heart disease, it may be possible at any time to feel symptoms of heart disease such as chest pain and shortness of breath. To prevent recurrence, patients with cardiovascular disease must follow treatment while adopting a healthy lifestyle, one of which is regular exercise. However, what types of exercise are safe for heart disease patients? Then, how is the safe guide to do it?
Types of exercise for heart disease patients
Exercise can affect the heart in many ways. First, exercise makes your muscles use up more energy and oxygen, which increases your heart rate. Second, exercise requires stability, so it demands a high heart rate for several minutes or hours after the exercise ends.
Third, if you exercise regularly, the chambers of the heart will be wider and this will allow the heart to fill more blood. The walls of the heart will also become thicker, making the heart pump blood stronger and more efficiently.
All of the effects of this exercise are actually beneficial for heart disease patients. However, the choice of exercise must be right so as not to cause problems later. Don't worry, you can maintain a problematic heart health by choosing the following safe sports.
1. On foot
Walking and brisk walking can be the easiest exercise for heart disease patients. Many studies have shown that walking can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 31 percent and death by 32 percent.
This is because walking can reduce cholesterol levels, blood pressure, stress, and help control body weight to stay ideal. You need to know that high cholesterol and hypertension (high blood pressure) are a factor in increasing a person's risk of cardiovascular disease.
High cholesterol levels can form plaque in blood vessels and this is what causes heart disease. Meanwhile, hypertension can make arteries stiffer. However, the benefits of walking can be achieved if the distance is up to 8 km per week.
2. Taichi
Tai chi is a Chinese fitness exercise that involves a series of light stretches with slow, focused movements. Apart from slow movement, Tai Chi also hones your ability to concentrate, control breathing, and regulate body rhythm.
Tai chi plays a very large role in the prevention and treatment of various health problems, including heart disease. The reason is, because taichi puts light pressure on the heart muscle.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, this exercise is good for patients with heart diseases, such as heart failure because it helps lower blood pressure. The slow movements of taichi can strengthen the heart, reduce stress, and allow a person to control their weight.
3. Swimming
To make exercising more fun, you can combine a leisurely walk and tai chi with swimming. This exercise is the best choice for people who are recovering from common types of heart disease, such as atherosclerosis or heart failure.
In fact, when patients with heart disease have problems with joints (rheumatism) because various movements are easier to do in water.
The Cleveland Clinic website states that swimming is beneficial for heart disease patients because it can improve blood circulation, lose weight, make breathing better, normalize heart rate and blood pressure.
4. Cycling
Cycling is a safe choice of exercise for people who have heart disease. The reason is, this type of exercise can strengthen the heart muscle, reduce resting pulse rates, reduce cholesterol levels, and improve blood circulation.
These benefits can protect patients from heart attacks and strokes in the future. Not only that, this exercise can also help lose weight in heart disease patients because it burns body fat.
Exercise guide for heart disease patients
In addition to the choice of exercise that should not be arbitrary, patients with cardiovascular disease must also know safe guidelines for carrying it out. Let's follow the safe steps to exercise if you have the following heart disease.
1. Make sure beforehand whether to exercise or not
Not all heart disease patients can exercise, for example, those who have recently undergone medical procedures, such as angioplasty, bypass surgery, or heart surgery. They prefer to rest at home to speed up the recovery process.
Some of them must first confirm their physical condition to the doctor before starting to return to exercise regularly. For example, patients with ischemic heart disease who experience symptoms of unstable chest pain (angina) are also discouraged from participating in strenuous exercise. Even the choice of casual sports should be limited and supervised.
Then, patients with pacemakers should avoid sports that rely on arm movements or body contact. Likewise, patients with congestive heart failure should avoid swimming if their condition has not fully recovered.
2. Obey the basic rules of exercising properly
Exercising safely for heart disease patients can be achieved by adhering to three rules in every physical activity, namely warming up, training, and cooling down. A good warm-up and cool-down phase (approximately 5 minutes) can maintain a healthy heart.
Avoid hot showers, which can lead to increased heart rate and arrhythmias, for 15 minutes after physical activity.
3. Increase the intensity slowly
Even though you are very excited to do this healthy and healthy activity, you still have to adapt your exercise plan to your condition. Do not do a long workout suddenly.
Instead, start exercising for 30 minutes in the first week and then increase the duration the following week. Don't forget to always consult this exercise plan with your doctor.
4. Ensure adequate nutrition and fluid intake
Exercise requires the body of a heart disease patient to expend a lot of energy. Therefore, make sure you eat food choices that are healthy for your heart so that your stamina is maintained.
In addition, always prepare drinking water so that dehydration does not occur. The reason is, water can prevent heart disease from getting worse because water supports the work of cells, organs and tissues in the body.
5. Monitor the condition of the body during exercise
Perform surveillance and monitoring of body conditions, such as monitoring heart rate, blood pressure and rhythm before, during, and after exercise.
Stop exercising immediately if symptoms such as dizziness, arrhythmia, shortness of breath and chest pain return.
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