 To keep the activities that you do everyday from feeling like climbing Mount Everest, you need to keep moving. Exercise is as important to you today as it ever has been. The next few pages are geared toward answering the “whys” and “hows” of exercising with congestive heart failure.
Consult with your physician before starting an exercise program.
Question: I have heart failure, why is it important for me to start exercising now?
Question: I get short of breath and fatigued when I exercise; is this good for my heart?
Question: How should I get started?
Question: How much exercise should I do?
Precautions
Download printable exercise log
Question: I have heart failure, why is it important for me to start exercising now?
Answer: Exercise is a great way to reduce the stress in our lives while also increasing our strength, endurance and tolerance for doing the normal things we do everyday such as showering and brushing our teeth.
Exercise will:
- Aid in relieving depression
- Reduce sleep disturbance
- Decrease muscle weakness
- Diminish shortness of breath
- Promote more independent living.
Remember: If you don’t use it, you lose it!
Question: I get short of breath and fatigued when I exercise; is this good for my heart?
Answer: Muscles need oxygen to work. With heart failure your heart is not able to keep up with the demand. When you start to engage in more strenuous activities you may become short of breath. This is your body saying it’s time to stop and rest. Listen to it! Take a break and when you feel rested and back to normal, start again.
Question: How should I get started?
Answer: Now that you have seen a physician and been diagnosed, it’s time to take the best possible care of you body. Set some goals for yourself:
Goal # 1 Strive for regular activity
- Schedule exercise into your day just like everything else (doctor appointments, grocery shopping, watching the game, getting your hair done).
- Find activities that you like doing (Walking, swimming, water aerobics, cycling, golfing or gardening).
- Prepare for the roadblocks that lie ahead. (Example: if walking is your exercise of choice, prepare for the rain; you will need indoor options such as mall walking.)
- Keep in mind that doing the same exercise day after day can take its toll. Look at your options, mix it up a little.
- Recruit a friend to join in.
Goal # 2: Try to increase your exercise duration
- Duration is time
- Time can be anywhere from 1-30 minutes depending on how much you do initially.
- Everyone starts out at different levels.
- For example, start on a short walk and see if you become tired after three minutes, then that’s where you start.
- Each week, try to add just one minute, if possible.
Goal # 3: Keep a diary of your daily activities and eating habits
- When you go back over the month, you can really see how much you have done and the improvements you have made.
- If you write something down, it makes you more accountable. Do you want to write down that you ate a bag of chips?
Question: How much exercise should I do?
Answer:
- Remember that your number one goal is to do as much regular activity as possible.
- If you can only walk for 5 minutes then do that a couple of times a day. At the end of the day, it all adds up!
- Take the “talk test”. When you reach the point where your body is working hard, but you are still able to talk, you are at the perfect level.
- STOP if you are short of breath, dizzy, lightheaded, nauseated or have chest pain.
It is important to warm up and cool down when exercising. Take a few minutes to stretch and then start walking at a slower pace than normal to allow your heart and muscles time to warm up. Then start your exercise. When finished you can use the same technique to cool down.
NOTE: Keep in mind that when you are feeling fatigued and short of breath that sometimes the best way to recover is through a relaxation exercise.
- Sit down in a quiet place and close your eyes.
- Allow all of your muscles to relax for a few minutes.
- It is important to keep breathing while doing this.
- Take slow deep breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth.
- Allow your mind to clear.
- You will be amazed at how well it works.
Precautions
- Don’t overdo: listen to your body
- Pace yourself: rest between periods of activity
- Avoid heavy lifting
- Avoid exercise when it is too cold or too hot
- Avoid strenuous exercise after a big meal
- Avoid extremely hot or cold showers or a sauna after exercise
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