Can I Go To A Gym Or Exercise?
Yes, exercise is good for you. Being unfit could make your symptoms worse and reduce your ability to perform daily tasks. Just check with your heart specialist before you go, to make sure there aren’t any special precautions you should take. Use the advice given in improving your fitness section for information on how to exercise safely.
In school you should be able to participate in most sports as long as you are allowed to rest when you get tired. Long distance running and endurance tests like the bleep test are best avoided. If you are on warfarin you should avoid contact sports where there is an increased risk of injury.
Everyone is different. If you have high blood pressure in your lungs you may find that simple exercise like walking for a short distance makes you tired. If this applies to you then a gym or exercise class is not the place for you. But there are activities which you will be able to do from which you will benefit. If you require advice on how to proceed, click here and fill in the form. If you are >16yrs age and live in Manchester a team of specialists can assess your current fitness and advise you on activities which are right for you and from which you will benefit.
Some of you shouldn’t be doing any resistance training or lifting heavy weights. It will depend on the severity of your heart problem as to what the restriction will be – you must check with your nurse or doctor. It is far safer to lift light weights with several repetitions than to try and lift heavy weights and only manage a few lifts because it’s too heavy!
You may need a letter from your doctor before the gym will let you in!! Just ask this is normally quite easy to sort out.
