Tips For Safe Exercise After a Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction)
Related Posts:
Safe Exercise After Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
Safe Exercise for Atrial Fibrillation
Safe Exercise After Defibrillator (ICD) Implantation
Preface
I’ve had a number of requests for a post on tips for safe exercise after a heart attack, so I’m indulging an inspired moment and giving the people what they want. I did a search of the internet to see what else was out there on this topic, but sadly I only found a few reputable pages with legitimate content where others were just spammy sites filled with useless garbage and gimmicky (useless) products for sale.
Introduction
In my previous posts on exercise for coronary artery bypass surgery, implanted cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), and atrial fibrillation, I lightly touched on heart attacks and how the exercise “playing field” changes after you’ve had one. But I’d like to assure you that once you’ve had a heart attack, your life is NOT over. Pretty far from it. As a clinical exercise physiologist in the cardiac rehab and research settings, I’ve worked with a lot of people who’ve had heart attacks and, with proper treatment and follow-up exercise therapy, they’ve gone on to live very active and productive lives.
It amazes me that some people I’ve worked with who’ve had quite large heart attacks actually had no real understanding of exactly what a heart attack is. And this lack of awareness only served to make them more anxious and afraid to do any physical activity. For some, it became an excuse to exclude themselves from life (“Oh, I can’t do that, I have a bad ticker…”). But ‘learned helplessness’ is learned and can also be unlearned!
What Exactly Is a Heart Attack?
It is important to understand that the heart is a pump which circulates blood throughout the body. The heart must also pump oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to itself which it does through the coronary arteries (see image below). Coronary arteries are a network of blood vessels which wrap around and envelop the heart muscle. A heart attack, or myocardial infarction (MI), occurs when there is a blockage in the coronary arteries that feed blood to the heart muscle. In short, the ‘downstream’ heart muscle below the blockage is starved of oxygen and nutrients and, unless medical treatment is administered immediately, it can result in death of the heart muscle served by that artery.
Credit: National Heart Lung Blood Institute
The Difference Between Angina and a Heart Attack
When a coronary artery has a blockage, this can lead to chest pain (called angina). But the blockage does not have to be 100%. In many cases, it is possible to have, say, a 70% blockage in an artery and have no symptoms whatsoever at rest. But under exertion, such as when walking up a hill or some other sort of strenuous activity, the heart muscle’s demand for blood (and the oxygen and nutrients it carries) is exceeded by the coronary arteries’ ability to supply it. For most people, this results in the jaw, chest, back, or arm pain, sweating, lightheadedness, dizziness, or other atypical pain (i.e., referred pain to the low back). The good news is that this is NOT a heart attack. Often when you stop exercise, the pain will go away.
If the pain is predictably consistent with activity then it is known as stable angina. Alternatively, when you’re sitting at home in your chair watching TV and the chest pain kicks in without warning, this is known as unstable angina. Obviously the latter is more critical, but both situations warrant immediate medical attention.
List of Angina Symptoms (and Possible Impending Heart Attack)
- Chest pain or discomfort (sometimes mistaken for heart burn)
- Shortness of breath
- Pain radiating down the left arm (or both arms), the back, neck, jaw, or the abdominal area
- Feeling queasy/nauseous, vomiting, cold sweat, dizziness
- Atypical pain which might occur in between the shoulder blades or in the lower back (not common, but I’ve seen it in clinical practice)
A heart attack, on the other hand, is when the blood flow through the coronary artery is completely blocked. This may occur suddenly when a blockage in the artery ruptures and the impending blood clot impedes blood flow. In other cases, an abnormal cardiac rhythm can cause the heart to stop, but this is not the same as ischemic heart disease (blocked arteries). For people with underlying cardiac risk factors, such things like shovelling snow or playing a ‘weekend warrior’ game of football can precipitate a heart attack.
Time is heart muscle
The onset of angina is your cue to get to the hospital as soon as possible. In cardiac rehab, we have a saying which goes “time is heart muscle.” The quicker they evaluate you, administer clot busting drugs, and/or perform an emergency angioplasty (or bypass surgery), the more likely you are to preserve your heart muscle.
How do you know you’re at risk for a heart attack (or second heart attack)? Be aware of the following cardiovascular risk factors which may predispose you to heart problems:
Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors (by the American College of Sports Medicine)
- Age – Male: 45 years or older; Female: 55 years or older
- Family History – Heart attack, coronary artery bypass surgery, or sudden death in an immediate blood relative (before age 55 in male 1st degree relative or before age 65 in female relative)
- Cigarette Smoking – Current smoker or those who quit within the past 6 months
- High Blood Pressure – Systolic blood pressure of 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure of 90 mmHg or greater confirmed by measurements on at least two separate occasions, or taking prescribed blood pressure medication
- Sedentary Lifestyle – Not participating in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on at least three days of the week for at least three months
- Obesity – Body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or greater or waist measurement of 40 inches or greater (> 102 cm) for men and 35 inches or greater (>88 cm) for women
- High Cholesterol – Total cholesterol is 200 mg/dl or greater (5.18 mmol/l); LDL cholesterol is 130 mg/dl or greater (3.37 mmol/l); or HDL is less than 40 mg/dl (1.04 mmol/l)
- Pre-diabetes – Glucose levels after an overnight fast are between 100 to 126 mg/dl (5.5 to 6.93 mmol/l) or glucose levels after a 75g oral glucose tolerance test are between 140 to 200 mg/dl (7.7 to 11 mmol/L). If you HAVE diagnosed diabetes, you are at a 2-4 times greater risk of heart attack and stroke. Keep your blood glucose levels under control.
- Protective HDL Levels – HDL is your “good” cholesterol which protects you against heart disease. A level of 60 mg/dl (1.55 mmol/l) is desirable
Cardiac Rehabilitation After a Heart Attack
I’ll admit I’m biased when it comes to recommending cardiac rehab after a heart attack, but I cannot overemphasize it enough: GO TO CARDIAC REHAB. Most programs will provide you with three key elements for long-term success: 1) detailed education about your condition, risk factors, and ways to improve your lifestyle; 2) supervised exercise sessions; and 3) recommendations for exercise beyond cardiac rehab and suggestions for ongoing follow-up care.
Can I Exercise After A Heart Attack?
The short answer, generally speaking, is yes. A big YES. You CAN and SHOULD exercise to improve both your heart and general health. But before you exercise either in a cardiac rehab or on your own, you must be certain to have final clearance from your cardiologist and/or surgeon (if you’ve had bypass surgery). Depending on your condition, the doctor may want to perform a treadmill stress test on you just to be sure that your heart is stable enough to withstand regular exercise training (and this is peace of mind for you too!).
When Can I Exercise After a Heart Attack?
The time it takes to get back to (or start) exercise after a heart attack will vary from person to person. While you’re in the hospital, the nurses will probably want to get you up on your feet and have you doing laps around the nurse station at a very low intensity (i.e., snail pace, just one foot in front of the other). You’ll likely do multiple bouts of, say, 5-10 minutes at a time.
Once you leave the hospital, you’ll probably be able to carry on with your low-intensity home exercise until your follow-up appointment with your cardiologist (or surgeon). This will likely be around 3-4 weeks or so. You MUST remember that even when you start to feel better, there is still healing happening on the inside. A heart attack inflicts trauma on the heart and, if you’ve had any damage to the heart muscle, then your ability to exercise may be compromised. Only your doctor can tell you the extent of heart damage (if any).
As mentioned above, cardiac rehabilitation sessions are also advisable, as this allows you to “test drive” your ticker under the watchful eye of a trained cardiac nurse and exercise physiologist. Provided you are asymptomatic (no shortness of breath, no chest pain etc) and are not showing an abnormal heart rate or rhythm on the electrocardiogram, then you will likely be fine to get back to (or start) your exercise regimen.
What Are the Benefits of Exercise After a Heart Attack?
The benefits of exercise after a heart attack are not too different from those in people who’ve not had a heart attack. Though the main point of difference is a particular focus on improving the function of the heart, particularly if there was any damage to the heart muscle itself. In other cases, some people experience what is known as “stunned myocardium” which is where the heart muscle is not dead, per se, but is injured and may regain some of its contractile properties after a few weeks. Finally, it is possible to have a heart attack yet not have any damage to the heart muscle – often when treatment is administered soon after the onset of symptoms.
Benefits of Exercise After a Heart Attack
- Improved Heart Function – Regular exercise training helps improve the heart muscle’s ability to use oxygen, resulting in less demand on the heart and a reduced likelihood of future symptoms of angina
- Improved Body Function – This is a simplified way of saying that your exercising body becomes more efficient at extracting oxygen from the blood and using it down at the cellular level (i.e., in your exercising leg muscles). The benefit of this is that your heart doesn’t have to work as hard
- Reduced Cardiac Risk Factors – Exercise can help reduce body fat, increase valuable muscle (increase your metabolic rate), reduce blood pressure, improve cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes (or help improve your blood glucose control if you’ve already been diagnosed)
- Reduced Risk of a Second Heart Attack – Following on from above, exercise can minimize your risk of having a second heart attack. Life can be unpredictable sometimes and you never know when you’re going to have to exert yourself, so being physically trained is a great way to minimize the possibility of another heart attack
- Improved Psychological Well-Being – Exercise has anti-depressant and anti-anxiety effects on the body. It helps you burn off the daily stresses of modern living, and this is even more valuable after having had a heart attack
What’s the Best Exercise After Having a Heart Attack?
There’s no set in stone rule for which exercise is best after a heart attack, but walking and cycling are quite commonly recommended because they’re practical and easily accessible to most people. For people that have had a stroke and may not be able to take up walking, arm-based exercises such as an arm ergometer (arm crank) can be a great way to get the heart rate up and challenge the heart to get stronger.
Weight training is also a viable form of exercise after a heart attack, but it is advisable to build a good cardiovascular exercise base and then add in the resistance training when you’re feeling stronger and have gotten clearance from your cardiologist. Specific guidelines will be discussed below.
Exercise Prescription: How Hard Can I Exercise After a Heart Attack?
The “by the book” exercise prescription for in-patient exercise (still in the hospital) as set forth by the American College of Sports Medicine is as follows, but I will also provide a bit of additional explanation.
Frequency
Early mobilization – two to four times per day for the first three days of the hospital stay
Later mobilization – two times per day beginning on day four of the hospital stay with exercise bouts of increased duration
While it’s true you need your rest, bed rest is also the single worst thing for your body. Remaining flat on your back in bed can cause stiffness, constipation, and lost of strength. The nurses will probably get you sitting up and walking around your hospital room just to place some gravitational load on your body.
Intensity
Suggested upper intensity limits:
Heart rate of 120 beats per minute or less; OR resting heart rate plus 20 beats per minute as the arbitrary upper limit.
Be aware that medications such as beta-blockers (i.e., metaprolol) will lower your heart rate so the numbers may not be an accurate indicator of how hard you’re working. Focus instead on a self-perceived intensity level of light to moderate exertion. If you find yourself short of breath, then cool your jets and ease up a bit!
Time (Duration)
Intermittent bouts of three to five minutes as tolerated
Incorporate a slower-level walk between bouts or rest if deemed necessary
The general rule immediately after a heart attack is more exercise bouts per short duration, then ween yourself onto longer durations while reducing the number of exercise bouts until you’re doing at least 30 continuous minutes of exercise at a light to moderate intensity (see above re: intensity).
It is important to understand that these are general guidelines and may not be appropriate for you depending on the extent of damage from your heart attack (if any), medications, and other medical considerations. Discuss these recommendations with your nurse or cardiac rehabilitation team to find the right inpatient exercise prescription.
Outpatient Exercise After a Heart Attack
The following post-heart attack exercise prescription is appropriate for when you’ve been re-evaluated by your cardiologist and/or surgeon and have been given the all clear to exercise again.
Frequency
Strive to perform at least four days per week and work up to daily (7 days per week).
Intensity
If you’ve had a follow-up treadmill stress test performed by your doctor then, depending on your level of conditioning, you might want to start off at approximately 40% of your measured max heart rate up to as much as 80% of your heart rate. This is casting a wide net, so it really will have to be tailored. As mentioned above, if you’re on a beta-blocker medication, then your heart rate may not be an accurate reflection of your intensity. Instead, aim for a self-perceived exertion in the window of “light to moderate to somewhat hard.” If you have the opportunity to exercise at a cardiac rehabilitation program, then you will likely receive specific guidance for monitoring your exercise intensity. Bottom line: take it easy at first and then gradually progress yourself to higher intensities, paying particular attention to the onset of any signs or symptoms (shortness of breath, dizziness, etc).
Time (Duration)
Give yourself a light 5 to 10 minute warm up consisting of light walking and stretching. Depending on your level of conditioning (or deconditioning), aim for 20 to 60 minutes. The obvious implication here is shoot for the lower end when you’re just starting out and progress to 60 minutes as tolerated. Increase your duration by around 10 to 20 percent per week, though this will have to be tailored to you depending on how fit or unfit you are. Remember that exercise isn’t all just about your heart and lungs. Also pay attention to localized fatigue in your legs. If your lower extremities experience fatigue, then just slow it down a bit or take a break. You’ll find with regular training that you can go longer and longer each week throughout your recovery.
Type
As mentioned above, walking and cycling are probably the two most common types of exercise due to their easy access. They engage the large muscles of the lower body which helps maximise the amount of energy (calories or kilojoules) you burn which in turn helps you lose weight and keep it off. Other forms of aerobic exercise may include:
- Arm ergometer (arm crank)
- Combined walking/cycling with the arm ergometer (combined upper/lower body workout)
- Elliptical trainers
- Rowing machine (rowing ergometer)
- Stair climber machines
- Aerobics classes such as step class or newer crazes like Zumba
The bottom line is find a form of exercise that you enjoy and are more likely to stick with. Find an exercise buddy and keep each other on the straight and narrow. For more information, see my post on “yo-yo exercise” and how to stay on track with your exercise regimen.
Resistance Training After a Heart Attack
You can perform resistance exercise after a heart attack, though I strongly advise you to first build a solid aerobic exercise foundation and get clearance from your cardiologist (particularly if you have high blood pressure). Though not set in stone, we used to wait approximately 6 to 8 weeks in cardiac rehab before we’d allow anyone to start lifting heavy weights. But for the most part, lighter weights may be a good idea just to help you learn the movement patterns and develop proper technique.
In the beginning, aim for at least two to three days per week lifting weights that permit around 12 to 15 repetitions, and performing 2-3 sets. Be sure to EXHALE as you’re lifting the weight against gravity (remember: EXhale on the EXertion). Or when in doubt, do NOT hold your breath, as this may increase your blood pressure. If you’re obese and carry a lot of weight around your belly, some exercises might need to be modified if your midsection impedes your range of motion.
I would suggest working with your cardiac rehab exercise physiologist for specific guidance on resistance training. While the benefits of weight training are clearly established, if not done properly it can lead to injury and possibly further cardiac complications. Alternatively, send me an email and I’ll do my best to steer you in the right direction.
Final Thoughts
I’m hopeful you were able to pick out a few bits of helpful information here, though I acknowledge that exercise after any cardiac condition can be a lofty topic with many subtleties. The bottom line is that exercise after a heart attack is beneficial and advisable in STABLE individuals, but can be a health risk if you are not properly stratified and/or do too much, too hard, too soon after your event. The best advice is to work closely with your cardiologist and cardiac rehab team for guidance specific to your condition.
4 Responses to "Tips For Safe Exercise After a Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction)"
How much damage is done when exercise after a heart attack is delayed 4 months ?
Hi Pam, It is unlikely you’d do any more damage to the heart by delaying exercise for 4 months after a heart attack. Though it’s fair to say doing nothing isn’t going to do the heart any favors either. Heart attacks and subsequent damage to the heart muscle can vary from person to person depending on how large and deep the infarct was. Naturally recovery times will vary too and the time it takes to get clearance for exercise will depend on the cardiologist. Was a surgical procedure done after the heart attack? Bottom line: a lot of factors to consider in determining how long one should wait before getting into exercise. I would suggest getting in touch with your doctor to see about getting a referral into cardiac rehab. This way they can hook you up to an ECG while you’re exercising to ensure you’re ticker is responding normally under exercise stress. Hope this helps. Best wishes.
Hi,
What core exercises are safe to perform after 2 heart attacks. Cardio has been the main focus but not done any work on the core and upper body.
Thanks
Hi Victoria,
Thank you for your comment. If you’ve had two heart attacks, my main concern as an exercise physiologist is that you are deemed by your cardiologist to be medically stable and well-managed (healthy lifestyle, taking meds as indicated). Did you have an angioplasty/stent or open heart bypass surgery? I would discuss this with your cardiologist and perhaps ask for a treadmill stress test to determine your exercise capacity. If you can tolerate relatively high workloads then you would likely be stable to perform weight training exercises at a low level and gradually progress to higher training volumes.
Most exercises are fair game provided you do not have any unstable aspects to your condition. For example, if you told me you had two previous heart attacks and were experiencing chest pain at rest (unstable angina), then obviously this is cause for concern and exercise could clearly worsen the situation. My advice would be to hire either an exercise physiologist or a personal trainer in your area to go over some core and upper body exercises with you. If you have underlying high blood pressure then you need to be aware of your breathing upon exertion (exhaling on the exertion). IF you’re holding your breath when lifting weights, this can increase your internal pressures which may cause a further rise in blood pressure and possibly predispose you to having another heart attack. Be sure your EP or trainer diligently monitors your heart rate and blood pressure response.
Again, going back to my comments above, provided you are medically stable and reasonably low risk, you should be able to tolerate most exercises reasonably well. Be aware that it would be inappropriate for me to provide specific advice given that I am not familiar with the intricacies of your medical history and situation. I hope this helps move you in a positive direction.
Cheers
Bill
Leave your response