It may seem rather strange and obscure that I’m talking about fitness when I’m only just starting to recover from heart failure.  However, from experience and plenty of evenings surfing the internet, I discovered that some level of fitness is extremely important and can actually aid in your recovery process.

Obviously, we should not jump straight into the gym or participate in the Spartan race.  It is important to pace yourself and work very closely with your cardiologist and medical team.  The last thing we want is an incident caused by extreme fitness.

Some articles state that if you start some level of exercise within 2 weeks of the incident, this will, in turn, increase your chances of a full recovery, or close to it at least.

In my case, my health insurance covered in-house physical therapist, and I literally booked the first session 2 days after I returned home.  She was a tough 5’2″ woman, who did not take no for an answer and knew how far she could push me.

Now, these exercises were not weights, running or other endurance challenges, but simple exercises to get my muscles and circulation flowing again.  It worked!

I’ll share more about my exercise journey in some of my posts, and will certainly share my schedule + exercises I did.

My advice, please explore opportunities with your cardiologist for getting some light exercises, and gradually build up your stamina.  This will reward you, and combined with lifestyle changes, you will succeed.

The worst thing you can do is sit back in the chair and pretend it’s all over.  Far from it my friend, your journey is just beginning and you will succeed.