Just one year after suffering a heart attack, 66-year-old Arthur Manjourides completed the challenging Boston Marathon. For Arthur, surviving a heart attack was a life-changing experience that prompted him to begin exercising for the first time in many years. He serves as an excellent example of the level of physical activity that can be achieved after suffering a heart attack. Exercise is very beneficial for post-heart attack victims and can reduce their risk of future heart attacks.
Benefits
Exercise strengthens the damaged heart muscle, lowers cholesterol, increases the efficiency of the heart to pump blood, lowers blood pressure, aids in the formation of new blood vessels within the heart, decreases the build-up of plaque in the arteries, promotes vasodilation of the blood vessels, aids in weight management and decreases your risk of future heart attacks.
Time Frame
The length of recovery varies from person to person and depends on the severity of the heart attack as well as the amount of damage to the heart. It takes about six weeks for the heart muscle to become healthy enough to handle the demands of moderate to heavy intensity exercise, according to the University of Wisconsin. During this period you will be restricted to very light activity.
Recommendation
You may begin running only after your doctor has given you permission to do so. Once your doctor has cleared you for running, start out very slowly. Begin your workout by warming up for about ten minutes with light aerobics such as walking, cycling or jogging. Start out by running for 20 to 30 minutes at a moderate intensity and then increase the intensity, mileage and frequency very gradually -- remember you should not be attempting to train for a marathon right away. After completing your workout, cool down for about five minutes, advises Johns Hopkins.
Considerations
While you are running, you will need to closely monitor your exercise intensity. One way is to measure your heart rate or wear a heart rate monitor during exercise. Your heart rate while running should not increase by more than 30 beats per minute above your resting heart rate. Another method is the "talk test" in which the intensity is measured by your ability to talk during exercise, according to the University of Wisconsin. If you are unable to carry on a conversation, then you are probably exercising too hard and need to decrease the intensity. Intensity may also be measured by the perceived exertion scale, a scale ranging from 6 to 20 that corresponds to your subjective feelings of exertion. A "seven" is considered "very, very light" whereas a "19" is considered "very, very hard."
Warning
Stop exercising immediately and contact your physician if you have chest pain; pain that radiates to your jaw, arms or stomach; shortness of breath that is disproportionate for the intensity of exercise; blurred vision; irregular heartbeat; profuse sweating; dizziness or nausea.
