Is there any risk in exercising with heart disease?
Exercise has lots of benefits, but there are some risks. How much or how little you should do depends on your diagnosis. If you have survived a heart attack or have had heart surgery, you should first talk to your health professional about supervised exercise in an organized cardiac rehabilitation program. This chapter will build on what you learn in cardiac rehabilitation and provide you with tools to maintain a safe and healthy exercise program . Whatever the severity of your heart disease, you should discuss exercise with your physician or health professional before beginning any program. In addition, your physician may have prescribed medication such as beta-blockers that limits the body’s ability to increase the heart rate. (Not all drugs affect your ability to exercise or to increase your heart rate.) When your physician prescribes any medication, discuss how exercise might affect it. If exercise is supposed to be so good for you, why do some young athletes die suddenly...