Undergoing heart surgery is a life changing experience. You may feel much better compared to before. You may also feel a bit impaired. Doctors caution treading gently following heart surgery. But this doesn’t mean you need to continue your sedentary lifestyle. Rather, you will need to start exercising again to prevent cholesterol getting deposited again in your blood vessels. Here are several useful tips that will help you stay fit following angioplasty:
Start Powerwalking
You may not be able to take up intensive exercises right away. Given your age and condition, you can definitely take up a lightweight exercise like powerwalking. It makes you sweat, but with considerably less strain on your heart compared to the usually running or jogging.
Powerwalking is known to offer similar benefits to running. However, you need to do it right and commit to a time schedule each week. Also, don’t forget to maintain the right posture as you powerwalk. The wrong posture may make things even worse for you.
Invest In a Cardio Machine
Following surgery, exercising at home is probably the best. You can save time going to the gym and also exercise in peace, at your own pace, and at your own place. Consider dropping some cash on medical treadmills designed for patients with heart conditions. These treadmills come in varying powers to suit individual needs.
If you don’t have time to actually go light jogging or powerwalking outside, a machine may help you achieve the same results in your living room. Buy an easy to store and highly serviceable machine. Make sure the size is right for you from the start.
Dump the Sugar and the Excess Fats
The benefits of your heart surgery won’t last long if you return to your old habits. In particular, old eating habits. Change your diet and consume only low amounts of sugar and fats. Gain most of the nutrition you need from organic and fresh foods like fruits and veggies.
Get rid of meat in your meal and replace it with omega-3 rich fish like salmon. Meat is bad for the planet and is bad for you in excess. A plant-based diet is usually considered the best for recovering heart patients. Instead of relying on meat, find plant-based protein sources to keep yourself well fed.
Reduce Stress in Your Life
Stress has a boomerang effect on our health. It makes up feel bad and also push us to engage in bad behaviour like excessive eating. Therefore, reducing stress should be part of your routine to get better following surgery. Less stress will certainly improve your mood and make it less likely that you engage in dangerous behaviour like consume alcohol, which will badly impact your health overall.
Stress reduction can take many forms. Exercising is a well-known way to reduce stress. You can also try meditating, engaging in a hobby, or just talking things though with people you trust. Remove yourself from stressful environments, like bad relationships or awful jobs.
The above advice should help you get back to your usual self following invasive heart surgery. Ask your general practitioner whether any of the above is unsuited for you.
