During Heart Foundation’s Heart Week 30th April -6th May
By Stephanie Broudou- Accredited Exercise Physiologist
What is Coronary Heart Disease?
Coronary heart disease (CHD), also known as coronary artery disease, is a disorder of the coronary arteries around the heart (which supply oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle) in which the regional blood supply is insufficient to deliver the oxygen needed by the heart muscle. CHD is the leading cause of death in many developed countries, and accounts for 17% of all deaths and 49% of deaths from cardiovascular disease in Australia. CHD is almost always due to atheroma (fatty deposit in the blood vessel); with estimates that over 20% of CHD worldwide being due to a lack of physical activity or exercise.
How can exercise help?
Regular moderate-intensity exercise has many benefits for people with CHD: it prevents the blood vessels from narrowing further (anti-atherosclerotic), prevents blood clotting (anti-thrombotic), helps deliver blood to the heart (anti-ischaemic), and helps to maintain a normal heart rhythm (anti-arrhythmic). These changes reduce the load on the heart at rest and during exercise, which helps to lessen some of the symptoms such as shortness of breathe and fatigue as well as decrease the risk of death from CHD. Additional benefits from exercise in those with CHD include: improved physical function and psychological wellbeing, and favourable changes in blood pressure, HDL cholesterol and insulin sensitivity. Exercise has shown to reduce the disease load and reduce the risk of a secondary heart event.
Exercise guidelines for Coronary Heart Disease
Both aerobic and resistance training are safe for people with stable CHD, as long as they are assessed properly and the training program is tailored to their needs. An Exercise Physiologist is a university qualified allied health professional trained who can safety assess you and give you a suitable exercise individualised exercise program.
The current exercise recommendations for CHD are 30-60 minutes per day, on 3-5 days per week, of moderate- intensity exercise (e.g. vigorous walking). This should be a combination of both aerobic and resistance training. Aerobic training improves the body’s ability to use oxygen to produce energy for movement and increases cardiorespiratory endurance, which will build exercise tolerance and reduce fatigue. Examples include walking, swimming, taking exercise classes or playing a sport, but physical activity also includes everyday things like gardening and climbing stairs.
Resistance training involves exercising with body weight or weights and resistance bands. It also includes things like heavy gardening or carrying shopping. Resistance exercise is extremely important, as it will assist in increasing muscle size and strength, which is heavily decompensated in CHD patients. Your Exercise Physiologist can give you a safe and personalized resistance training program and can show you the correct technique.
Remember to:
- Start slow. It’s best to work up to exercising on most days of the week. Build up gradually. Little by little, make your workouts longer or tougher over time. You should be able to talk during your workout. If you can’t, it’s probably too intense for you.
- Keep at it. It takes work to start and stick with any new habit. Exercise is no different. But you can boost your success by:
- Marking your calendar. Schedule a time to commit to exercise.
- Find a workout buddy.
- Change up your routine when you get bored and keep it fun!
- Drink water. Keep hydrated throughout your workout and wait at least an hour after eating a meal before you exercise.
- Warm up. Ease into your workout by doing the activity at a slower, gentler pace. That helps your heart (and the rest of your body) adjust slowly from resting to working hard.
- Cool down when you’re done. Gradually slow your pace — don’t just stop suddenly. Sitting, standing still, or lying down right after exercise can make you feel dizzy or light-headed, or even have heart palpitations (a fluttery feeling in your chest).
Pay Attention to Your Body
Exercise, although safe, still has some risks so it is best to know the signs of a cardiac event! If you have any sudden or severe chest pain, weakness, dizziness or light-headedness, or pressure or pain in your chest, neck, arm, jaw or shoulder; STOP exercising right away. If the symptoms continue, call your doctor or 000.