EXERCISE FOR HEART DISEASE AND HYPERTENSION
• Check with your physician about exercise safety before increasing your activity level. Your doctor may recommend that you take an exercise stress test before starting your program.
• Exercise at moderate intensity rather than high intensity. Keep your heart rate below the level at which abnormalities appear on an exercise stress test.
• Warm up and cool down gradually. Every warm-up and cooldown session should last at least 10 minutes.
• Monitor your heart rate during exercise, and stop if you experience dizziness or chest pain.
• If your physician prescribes nitroglycerin, carry it with you during exercise. If you take a beta-blocker to manage hypertension, use RPE rather than heart rate to monitor your exercise intensity (beta-blockers reduce heart rate). Exercise at an RPE level of “fairly light” to “somewhat hard.” Your breathing should be unlabored, and you should be able to talk during exercise.
• Don’t hold your breath when exercising. Doing so can cause sudden, steep increases in blood pressure. Take special care during weight training and do not lift heavy loads. Exhale during the exertion phase of each lift.
• Increase exercise frequency, intensity, and time very gradually.
