Heart Attack Support Group
Heart attack is a serious, sudden heart condition usually characterized by varying degrees of chest pain or discomfort, weakness, sweating, nausea, vomiting, and arrhythmias, sometimes causing loss of consciousness. It occurs when the blood supply to a part of the heart is interrupted, causing death and scarring of the local heart tissue.
My HA happened on 1/28/14 at age 46. Was very lucky and supposedly have no heart damage, but I do have coronary artery disease (50% blockage after a 100% blockage was stented. How did I get it? I was eating fast food nearly three meals a day and it finally caught up w/ me in combination w/ stress, sleeping poorly and not exercising enough.
Been doing great but recently am catching myself sliding the wrong way! To explain...I was doing great at the M-W-F Cardio Rehabilitation classes, so good that one day a nurse looked at me and said, "Would you like us to just graduate you from this program six weeks early?!!" I did and I thought I would exercise regularly after joining a very nice Planet Fitness gym that just went up in my City but guess what? It was better having the "appointment" to exercise at the Cardio Rehab classes three times a week 'cause I've gone back to working late in the day rather than stopping work and going to the gym ever since graduation from my appointed classes. I'm seeing working out more as an "option" but I know it shouldn't be treated as "optional!"
I want to get better! I want to help reverse my CAD and I was told that exercise is MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVEN YOUR HEART MEDICATIONS so my long-winded question to you all...for one who truly wants to improve and maximize his chance of never again having a heart attack, WHAT NUMBER OF DAYS SHOULD I TELL MYSELF I MUST WORKOUT EACH WEEK AND HOW MANY MINUTES CARDIO WORKOUT EACH OF THOSE DAYS? My guess is that one should workout (brisk walking is fine) 60 minutes minimum five days a week? Is that about right? Thanks in advance for sharing your insight w/ this matter. Hoping you all do great w/ what's before us and what unites us in this Group. I know we can prevent another heart attack and also reverse this disease if we can just stay consistent and persistent! Thanks! - Carl
Been doing great but recently am catching myself sliding the wrong way! To explain...I was doing great at the M-W-F Cardio Rehabilitation classes, so good that one day a nurse looked at me and said, "Would you like us to just graduate you from this program six weeks early?!!" I did and I thought I would exercise regularly after joining a very nice Planet Fitness gym that just went up in my City but guess what? It was better having the "appointment" to exercise at the Cardio Rehab classes three times a week 'cause I've gone back to working late in the day rather than stopping work and going to the gym ever since graduation from my appointed classes. I'm seeing working out more as an "option" but I know it shouldn't be treated as "optional!"
I want to get better! I want to help reverse my CAD and I was told that exercise is MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVEN YOUR HEART MEDICATIONS so my long-winded question to you all...for one who truly wants to improve and maximize his chance of never again having a heart attack, WHAT NUMBER OF DAYS SHOULD I TELL MYSELF I MUST WORKOUT EACH WEEK AND HOW MANY MINUTES CARDIO WORKOUT EACH OF THOSE DAYS? My guess is that one should workout (brisk walking is fine) 60 minutes minimum five days a week? Is that about right? Thanks in advance for sharing your insight w/ this matter. Hoping you all do great w/ what's before us and what unites us in this Group. I know we can prevent another heart attack and also reverse this disease if we can just stay consistent and persistent! Thanks! - Carl
I was in a 8-12 week cardiac rehab program. I was released after 8 weeks because they could not justify keeping me there based on my progress. I joined a gym and do the same cardiac rehab routine 3-4 times a week. Presently, I hit the treadmill for about 24 minutes (4 mph at lvl 12 incline), 18 minutes on the elliptical (6 minutes each at resistance levels 8, 9, 10), then 16 minutes on a stationary bike using resistance levels 5-8). My advice is to make going to the gym part of your daily routine.
I'm also sticking very closely to a low-sodium, low cholesterol diet and have dropped about 25 lbs since my HA in October, 2013.
It sounds to me like you understand what you need to do and want to help yourself get better. Making the commitment to working out is difficult sometimes, but the long term benefits are certainly worth it.
Keep us posted on your progress.
Rangers13
week , I end up doing 40 minutes 4 days a week. The key is to have a
set time to workout. You just have to make yourself stick to the schedule. My exercise would be more intense than moderate, but my
HA was over 6 years ago , so ive had a lot of time to increase intensity.
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