Sports that are good for people with heart disease

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Cao Thanh Tam - Cardiologist - Cardiovascular Center - Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital. Master - Doctor Cao Thanh Tam has many years of experience in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases
Lifestyle changes including exercise is a good way to improve cardiovascular disease, especially for the elderly. However, in many cases, patients who choose excessive sports will aggravate the disease, especially can be dangerous during exercise. Therefore, it is important to choose which sport is suitable for your health condition.

1. Why is the practice of sports beneficial for the cardiovascular system?

Of the five main risk factors for aggravating cardiovascular disease (hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, obesity and inactivity). Not only does exercise help increase movement, the body becomes more active. It also helps prevent dangerous complications of cardiovascular disease such as cerebrovascular accident, myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease.
Regular exercise will help reduce arterial blood pressure, reduce harmful fat components in the blood (LDL or total cholesterol), increase beneficial fat components (HDL), thereby making reduce progression of atherosclerosis.
Regular exercise also helps increase the ability to exchange, transport and use oxygen in the muscles and tissues of the body, thereby increasing the body's ability to respond to exertion. This is especially important for patients with cardiovascular disease, heart failure because these patients inherently have reduced exercise capacity. In addition, our heart when exercised regularly will beat slower when having to exercise vigorously.
Contrary to the common belief that "cardiovascular patients need absolute bed rest", patients with heart disease who exercise regularly will feel happier psychologically, and their quality of life will also increase. up. They are also less likely to have symptoms, and are more likely to be independent from illness.
Reasonable exercise contributes significantly to the rehabilitation of patients' cardiovascular function.

2. Good sports for people with cardiovascular disease

2.1 Aerobic

This is a type of exercise that is not too heavy and requires a lot of strength, so it is very safe for people with cardiovascular disease. For people with cardiovascular problems, you can exercise for about 20-25 minutes per session and should do gentle exercises about 5 times a week. Besides, you should also pay attention not to do sudden exercises because they will make your heart work harder suddenly.

2.2 Cycling

Exercising with a bicycle can not only improve muscle endurance, but also increase heart endurance and promote blood circulation and metabolism. For cardiovascular patients, cycling at home with an exercise machine will be the safest method of exercise. With a home exercise bike, you will not be affected by external factors such as weather, traffic and can fully control your training time.

2.3 Walking

Walking can help people reduce the risk of high blood pressure and cholesterol in the blood. Just walking for 30 minutes a day can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 18%. Or when you spend 3 hours a week walking, the risk of heart attack will be reduced by 35%.

2.4 Running

It is a very good exercise for people with heart disease. Each training session should start slowly, then gradually speed up but be moderate and regular. When you feel tired, run slowly before stopping. The first training sessions should run short distances, a few hundred meters or a few tens of meters for weak people, but then gradually increase. It is possible to run only three to four times a week, provided that the total distance is gradually increased.

2.5 Swimming

Swimming not only helps the body develop muscles but also makes an important contribution to improving the cardiovascular system. There is hardly any sport better than this in improving the health of the whole body, stabilizing the heart rate effectively. Regular swimming helps to stabilize blood pressure and promote blood circulation.
You should swim about 30-60 minutes / session, 3-4 times / week can help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes. Note, when going swimming, you should bring swimming goggles, swimming cap to ensure safety and good for your eyes.

3. How do people with cardiovascular disease exercise appropriately?

For people with cardiovascular problems, it is necessary to see a doctor for specific instructions on an exercise regimen with appropriate intensity. Before each exercise, it is necessary to warm up carefully at least 15 minutes so that the musculoskeletal systems, the circulatory and respiratory systems can adapt to the movement speed. Cardiovascular patients should avoid training with the spirit of a "fighter" because overexertion can be dangerous.
For people with weak physical condition, the appropriate training method is a few minutes, then take a break equal to the practice time or rest twice the practice time, continue to repeat like that for a total time of about 30-40 minutes for one workout. Continue to practice like that until the strength is strengthened, then extend the training time. The important thing in sports training is not to practice a lot, but to maintain it regularly, systematically and in accordance with your fitness.
Weather is also one of the factors patients need to pay attention to. Exercising in high humidity weather causes fatigue. Exercising in too hot or too cold weather can affect the circulatory system, cause shortness of breath, chest pain, can cause blood pressure to fluctuate, be unstable and can be a trigger for episodes of cold. angina or heart attack.
Be on the lookout for signs of overexertion. If you feel the exercise regimen is too heavy, reduce the intensity of the exercise. During exercise, if you have symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, dizziness, fainting, musculoskeletal pain or any other abnormal symptoms, you should stop exercising. If symptoms do not improve, you should see a doctor.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.