It is important to pace yourself after a heart attack
The first few days and even weeks at home after having a heart attack can be difficult – you may wonder what is it safe to do, whether you should be going out and about, when you can expect to get back to work and start doing exercise.
There are no hard and fast rules to answer these questions – each person will feel differently and it depends on what life was like for you before your heart attack.
You are likely to have good days and bad days but as time goes by, you should improve steadily and gradually feel better.
A good rule of thumb is to gradually build up what you do and how active you are. Start off slowly, pace yourself, see how you feel and make a plan to get back to normal.
Marie Young, Psychologist talks about creating a plan for returning to activity, listening to your body and pacing yourself.
The 4 Week Plan
What is light physical activity?
Activity that doesn’t make you too breathless to speak.
- Avoid lifting a weight that is almost too much for you to shift
- Avoid straining or tugging with all your might
- Avoid short sharp efforts that make you grunt.
