High Pre-Heart Attack Fitness Improves Prognosis

If you're getting the recommended minimum of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise weekly, there's still no guarantee that you won't have a heart attack. You're certainly reducing your risk, though, and according to a recent study, if you do have one, having a stronger heart prior to the attack will help protect you afterward. Dr. Chip Lavie, Director of the Exercise Laboratories at the Ochsner Clinical School in New Orleans, states that "Following a heart attack, having a higher level of fitness improves prognosis."

In a recent study, researchers from the Henry Ford Health System and the Johns Hopkins Hospital analyzed data from a study of over 2000 adults and reported that "something about being fitter prior to the heart attack helped protect people when measured one month, three months, and one year after it happened." Another reason to take steps now toward a stronger, more efficient heart!

If you've been diagnosed with heart disease or have high risk, shying away from exercise may be the last thing you want to do - it's actually very important to stay active. Consult with your doctor about beginning an exercise program suited to your specific needs - you'll be amazed at how far even a little exercise can go. According to Dr. Gordon Blackburn, program director of cardiac rehabilitation at the Cleveland Clinic, "There's a dose response to exercise. The more you stay with the exercise, the more you gain." Dr. Steve Nissen, chairman of cardiovascular medicine for the clinic adds that heart patients "should be more worried about the effects of not exercising on their heart than exercising."

The general recommendation as mentioned above is 150 minutes of moderate exercise per