If I can share my experience and even one person begins to think about their chronic health differently, I will be thrilled.
I had the pleasure of being part of the Heart and Stroke Foundations, Heart Failure Report. I was really impressed with the quote they choose for my part.
I think this quote sums up the take-away that I wish to share with people the most. I truly was surprised that I could be fit and active despite having chronic illnesses! I still am.
This is especially relevant now, after my recent health obstacles. With the tools that I learned in Cardiac Rehabilitation, I am back to the gym on my own . . . safely. I don’t keep up with exactly what the class is doing. I keep my own pace – probably about a 70% effort. And I wear my heart monitor – keeping track of my heart rate at all times.
The most important part of my workout is the warm-up and cool-down. By watching what my heart does at both ends of my workout session, I can best prevent any cardiac hiccups. My heart rate should raise slowly before I start my work out and lower slowly when I do my cool-down. Once I see those safe numbers I feel confident that I won’t hurt myself or precipitate a cardiac event. (Just what I need . . . another event!! LOL!)
Here is the whole Heart Failure Report – below in a link that takes you to a pdf. It is a very interesting and informative read.
As always, I am honoured to work with the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
karennicolesmith 