What can I do to prevent a heart attack?

It is never too late to prevent a heart attack, even if you have already suffered one. Patients should always talk to their doctor about their risk factors for heart disease and how they can reduce those risks. Your doctor may tell you the following:

• Quit smoking. If you smoke, stop, and if you don’t smoke, don’t start.
• Eat healthy. Cut back on foods high in fat and sodium, which will aid you in lowering your cholesterol and blood pressure.
• Control your diabetes.
• Lose weight if you are overweight.
• Control your blood pressure if you have hypertension.

Exercise

Exercise reduces stress, improves cholesterol levels, helps you lose weight, lowers blood pressure and is a powerful tool in controlling heart failure. It is important to follow your physician’s advice about how much exercise is right for you. Choose an exercise you like and can do year-round. Generally walking, bicycling and swimming are good forms of exercise. Your doctor may recommend cardiac rehabilitation. Cardiac rehabilitation includes exercise and educational programs to help build strength and learn how to manage heart failure.

• Wait 1-2 hours after a meal to begin exercising.
• Always start exercise with a warm-up, 5 to 10 minutes of stretching or slow walking.
• Your doctor or nurse can help you calculate your target heart rate.
• Exercise at your target heart rate. Your target heart rate is how fast your heart should beat during exercise.
• After exercise, cool down by walking slowly for at least 5 minutes.

When to Stop Exercising

Stop exercising if you have any of these problems:

• Angina (chest pain)
• Severe or unusual fatigue
• Irregular or rapid heartbeat
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea

Temperature Extremes

• Avoid exercising in very hot or very cold temperatures.
• Avoid activity outdoors when temperatures are below 32 degrees Fahrenheit and above 80 degrees.
• During the summer when it is hot and humid, walk early in the morning or late in the day if you are walking outside. Avoid extreme temperatures such as steam baths, saunas, spas and whirlpools until your doctor advises you otherwise.
• Don’t exercise when you are ill or have a fever.
• Use the "talk test" while you are exercising. If you are breathing so hard you have difficulty talking, SLOW DOWN.