Exercise and Heart Failure Unless your heart failure is severe, you will probably be told to do some exercising. This may sound confusing if you have heard you need to rest a lot and not get tired. The idea is to exercise to keep your body strong, but avoid overworking your heart. You should not do any exercises without talking to your doctor first. Your doctor may want you to go to a cardiac rehab program. This is a program that teaches you how to exercise. You will learn how to move safely through your exercise plan and build confidence in what you can do. If your heart failure is stable and your doctor OK’s an exercise program for you, moderate exercise can be very helpful. Some moderate exercises are:
Exercise tips • The best time to exercise is about 1 hour after eating or taking your medicines. • Warm up before you begin your exercise, cool down and stretch after you exercise. • Stay away from hard exercises and avoid lifting heavy things. • Don’t exercise in extreme heat or cold. It’s best to exercise when the temperature is between 40° and 80° F with low humidity. • Start slowly and work up gradually. • Set realistic goals. • If you have any chest pain or discomfort, shortness of breath that is abnormal for you, dizziness or nausea, stop the activity. Call your healthcare provider if the symptoms don’t get better. • Also, note how tired you are each day. If you are too tired to get out of bed the next day, you need to reduce the amount of exercise you do.
• brisk walking • swimming • riding a stationary bicycle • other:
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If you are not used to exercising, you might start with 5 to 15 minutes of easy exercise, resting as often as needed so that you don’t get tired or out of breath. A goal might be to build up to 30 minutes of moderate exercise 3 to 5 times a week. But, if you can’t do this much, any amount of exercise can help.
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