1 hr ago

Cardiologists Suggest Safe Gym Return After a Heart Attack

After a heart attack, the heart needs time and careful exercise to recover.

Doctors often begin rehabilitation while the patient is still in the hospital.

The patient may start with short, gentle walks and breathing exercises.

At home, walking can slowly become longer and faster if there are no warning symptoms.

Heavy lifting and hard exercise should be avoided at first.

Some people can return to normal daily activities within one to two weeks, but recovery differs from person to person.

Doctors suggest waiting six to eight weeks before going back to the gym.

Weight training and very intense sports may need to wait even longer.

A doctor’s examination and tests should help decide when harder exercise is safe.

Key facts

Initial mobilisation: Patients may begin gentle, supervised walking within 24 to 48 hours of the heart attack.
Discharge measure: Patients are considered fit for discharge after walking about 100 metres and climbing a couple of flights of stairs without chest pain or breathlessness.
Early home exercise: During the first week at home, patients may walk slowly for roughly half a kilometre to one kilometre once or twice daily.
Normal activities: Patients with mild heart attacks may return to normal activities within one to two weeks, depending on individual recovery.
Gym return: The article recommends avoiding the gym for at least six to eight weeks.
Strength training: Strength and resistance exercises should generally wait eight to ten weeks.
High-intensity sport: Higher-intensity sports activities generally take two to three months to resume.

NDTV · 1 hr ago