Eight Reasons Why Heart Patients Should NOT Exercise

Exercise is good for you - right ? Well, maybe not if you’re a heart patient with any of the conditions in the list below. In fact it may be very detrimental to your health… read on and get the essentials of what to look for, to ensure you can exercise safely and effectively !

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If you have recently experienced any of the symptoms or conditions from the list below you should NOT exercise and see your doctor for advice as soon as possible. If you have any of these in the future the same applies. It is advised that you should not return to exercise until these symptoms or conditions are resolved.

As we have mentioned in our other guides it is essential for you to understand and implement how to monitor your level of intensity during the different phases of an exercise programme.

Over the years I have come across many patients who have an inability to manage their exercise levels and it’s usually through overdoing rather than undergoing. These types of people tend to be A type personalities and make the mistake of thinking that the more they do the better it is going to be for them. Unfortunately this is far from the truth of the matter and what is optimal for an individual needs careful consideration, especially after a cardiac event. Too much is no better than too little - but the right amount is where you will get the greatest health  improvements for the least amount of risk… to be safe and effective !

Story: several years ago I had a new patient who had recently received a heart transplant, a middle aged man who was overweight and had not done any exercise for decades. He would cycle to the rehab class for 30 mins then complete an hour of cardiac rehab then cycle home again - 2 hrs in total, in addition he was exercising most days. He had probably received a heart from someone who had an exercising background, as for this patient it was uncharacteristic for him to be so conscientious with his exercise regime. However exercising daily to this extent was actually detrimental to his overall health and he had further complications and had to learn the way about finding his optimal level.

With the exception of febrile illness it is strongly recommended that you speak to your doctor and get consent from them to return to exercise. In the case of febrile illness wait until it has passed and you feel back to normal before recommencing your exercise regime.

Get in touch via social media channels if you have experienced any of the issues and have concerns from the checklist… 

I hope this list has been a helpful resource for you as you work to improve your health and fitness. Please feel free to contact the team at cardiac rehab online if you have any questions.

Thank you, here’s to creating a healthy, happier world one person at a time!

Christian OHare

BACPR