How to Exercise with Heart Disease

By Ron La Fournie

If you’ve been told you have heart disease, your first instinct may be to slow down or stop altogether. Many people do. They avoid walking, lifting, and even basic movement out of fear of making things worse.

That reaction is understandable — but in many cases, it’s exactly the wrong response.

When done properly, exercise is not something to fear with heart disease. It becomes one of the most important tools you have to protect your health, improve your quality of life, and regain confidence in your body.

This is not about pushing hard or training like an athlete. It’s about learning how to move safely, progressively, and intelligently.

Get Medical Clearance First

If you have been diagnosed with heart disease, or you’ve had a heart event or surgery, you must start with medical guidance. Ask clear, direct questions:

• What types of exercise are safe for me right now?
  • Are there movements or intensities I should avoid?
  • Is ther
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The biological Markers of Aging appear in our bodies in a very logical order and we all experience them. The markers of aging are the things we see changing in our bodies as we get older.  Logic says you and I cannot stop these Aging signs. But I will show you how to slow them down. Then you can join me and age gracefully and well. The list below has things we see and feel happening every day of our lives. I think you will agree they are like dominos.

Top 10 Biological Markers of Aging

1. Decrease in Muscle Mass
   
    If you are less active than you used to be, you’re probably experiencing a loss of muscle mass. This does not happen because you are getting older. It happens due to lack of activity. Remember the expression..."If you don't use it, you lose it!
   
   
2. Decrease in Strength
   
    Less muscle mass will lead you to experience a decrease in your strength. I lost most of my strength in few short months just prior to having open heart surgery due to a lack of activity.
   
   
3. Slowing of Metabolic Rate...

Knowing your exercise intensity is the difference between accomplishing your goals or just reading a magazine while you are on a treadmill. If you are trying to improve your fitness, you need to work a little harder than you normally do over a period of time.

We are all very unique in this and we need to have a method of measuring our exercise intensity that suits each one of us. The fitness industry tries to fit everyone into the same category.

Almost every major piece of fitness equipment has a heart range set according to age. It tells you that if you are 60 years old, then you should exercise at a certain heart rate depending on what you are trying to do.

Well, not every 60 or 70 year-old fits in the same mold. At 73 years old today, I know I exercise at rates far above where the ranges say I should be. 

 So, we need to know our own bodies a bit better. Check your own exercise intensity below and then get yourself a heart monitor or a Fitbit. You need something to measure your ...