It’s never too late to take your heart health seriously and make it a priority.
~Jennie Garth
I never gave walking much thought. Thanks to my parents’ genetics, I was tall and thin, so I rarely exercised. When I did walk, it was generally in four-inch heels from the parking lot to my office and around the building during my nearly four-decade-long business career.
Last year, however, walking up a flight of stairs made me feel more winded than I remembered. Surely, it was a sign of getting older and a little too much time sitting — or so I thought. An echocardiogram and subsequent stress test revealed that I had a severe leak in the mitral valve of my heart that required surgery to repair. I wasn’t prepared to hear this news. The last time I was in the hospital was when I had my tonsils out at age six.
But this story really isn’t about me. It’s about the people I had the great pleasure to meet in a gym that doesn’t do any advertising, has no memberships, and doesn’t require any fancy workout clothing. It’s known as Cardiac Rehab.
Its patrons range in age from 30 to nearly 90. They are dressed in street clothes with comfortable shoes. One would never know the connection between these individuals if they were seen on the street. But each one risked stroke, arrhythmia, and even death from their cardiac conditions and the surgical procedures that were required to correct them. Some were victims of their own bad behaviors, while others were simply affected by chance and circumstances beyond their control. Regardless of the cause, we all found ourselves in the same place.
Three words of advice are routinely provided by surgeons and cardiologists to cardiac patients. Walk. Walk. Walk. It seems easy enough until walking across a room after a cardiac event or surgical procedure feels like a mile. This extreme exhaustion can be created by a number of different cardiac conditions and treatments to mitigate them, but for the most part, there’s no escaping it. That’s why we heart warriors are referred to this exclusive health club.
The first day in cardiac rehab can be intimidating. We introduce ourselves by replacing our last names with our conditions. “Hello, I’m Susan Mitral Valve Repair.” Some people have an easier time than others. It’s not easy to introduce oneself as “Joe Aortic Aneurysm” or “Jane Emergency Cardiac Catheterization.” Saying these words can be surreal.
In the first three months, cardiac-rehab patients wear heart monitors the entire time they are involved in the rotation of exercises. Our heart rates are displayed on monitors around the facility, and alarms sound as patients get out of their targeted ranges. Initially, participants are very tentative; some are downright horrified, especially walking on the treadmill, as it represents the most physically demanding of the initial workout routine. Blood pressure is measured before, during, and after each session. At my facility, some individuals are asked affectionately to go to the “Penalty Box” (a seating area) when their numbers are too high or low to safely continue exercising.
The team of medical professionals is acquainted with each person’s medical history and fears. They are also well versed on the risks of exercising after cardiac treatment and the swift action that will be needed if anything goes awry. Nonetheless, they keep spirits high and patients motivated. In the three-times-per-week regimen, the cardiacrehab staff is keenly aware of the progress that will be necessary for patients to get back to daily living, which includes walking, walking, walking. Treadmill speed, incline, and duration are slowly increased as individual blood pressure and heart rate indicate that more challenge is warranted.
The more seasoned participants encourage the newbies and do their best to restore their confidence that life does go on after traumatizing cardiac events. Observing their brisk walking speed, endurance, and pleasure in their achievement keeps everyone focused and looking ahead to reaching their own goals.
Walk. Walk. Walk. These words of advice are still relevant, even at the conclusion of the initial 36 visits. Some leave and maintain their routines on their own. I suspect some go back to their old habits, hoping that lightning won’t strike twice. Still others opt for an extended rehab program that offers a twice-per-week workout routine.
Upon joining the extended class, I met an entirely different group of cardiac workout buddies. These people possessed a level of dedication and commitment like no other individuals I had ever met. One woman has been attending for 26 years since the event that brought her to this program. Another has been involved for 15 years and yet another for 13. An 88-year-old woman said, “I never thought I’d still be here. I know I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for cardiac rehab.” She jumped on that treadmill and walked like she wasn’t a day over 55!
In a world of immediate gratification and people who abandon their fitness goals as soon as they get too challenging or inconvenient, these participants seem to exist in another dimension. Not only do they continue participating for years, but they embrace the opportunity to walk like it is a precious gift.
I never thought I would appreciate walking until I had the pleasure of doing so with my new friends. Whether our heart conditions were months, years, or decades ago, we all understand that walking doesn’t just keep us active and independent; it dramatically decreases the probability of becoming heart patients for a second time.
The most recent medical research indicates that sitting is the new smoking. So, take it from this cardiac-rehab participant: don’t wait until a cardiothoracic surgeon or cardiologist is giving you this magical advice. Walk. Walk. Walk. Engage your own group of walking buddies and enjoy long, healthy lives together. Your hearts will be glad you did!
— Susan Lynn —