Why is being active important for me?
Being active is extremely good for our health and wellbeing, and is promoted by the British Heart Foundation.
Physical activity is a safe and effective treatment for patients with heart disease. Indeed, regular physical activity appears to be similarly effective as many drug interventions.
For people who have CHD, regular physical activity helps the heart work better and may reduce the risk of a second heart attack in people have already had a heart attack. It does this by:
- Prevents blood vessels from narrowing further
- Prevents blood clotting
- Helps deliver blood to the heart
- Helps maintain a normal heart rhythm
Other benefits from physical activity for people with heart disease include:
- Improved physical function
- Improved psychological wellbeing
- Beneficial changes in blood pressure, HDL cholesterol and insulin sensitivity
- Reduced levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in your body. High levels of this protein are a sign of vascular inflammation and may suggest an increased risk for future cardiovascular events
- Helps manage body weight
- Increased energy and improved mood
- Helps reduce stress and anxiety, as well as helping you relax
- Improved sleep
- May help you quit smoking
There are some contradictions to exercise, for example if your condition is clinically unstable then you should wait until your clinical condition has stabilised before exercising. If you are concerned about becoming physically active, please consult your doctor.
If you were admitted to hospital following a cardiac event (e.g. heart attack) or if you had certain surgical procedures for your heart, you should have been offered cardiac rehabilitation on release from hospital. Physical activity is the cornerstone of cardiac rehabilitation.
Breaking the vicious cycle of inactivity
If you have heart disease, you may feel like you’re locked inside a vicious cycle of having a condition that could be helped by physical activity, but at the same time a fear of exercise is keeping you sedentary.
By avoiding activity, you use your muscles less and they become weaker. Your heart is a muscle, so inactivity weakens your heart, as well as increasing your blood pressure and risk of developing blood clots, all of which increases your risk of suffering another cardiac event. We call this the vicious cycle of inactivity.
However, the opposite is also true. When you chose to be active, and it is never too late to start, your heart will become stronger. As you get fitter, your everyday tasks and other activities will become easier, so you will be able to move more for the same level of effort. We call this the positive cycle of physical activity.
