Exercise Suggestions

I am pacemaker dependent and have been all my life. After having my second child I want to get more fit to be around for them both (I was emergency cardioverted my last pregnancy). What are some good ways to tone up and get fit without causing myself to blackout from pushing my pacemaker limit?

2 Comments

Diagnosis?

by Tracey_E - 2014-01-03 09:01:35

Why do you have the pm and what has your dr recommended for activity? I was pushing my limits so they readjusted my settings, now I do whatever I want. If they don't want you pushing too hard, yoga is a great way to get strong and tone without a lot of heavy cardio.

light

by Tracey_E - 2014-01-06 09:01:57

I've seen some amazing results from yoga and pilates, maybe experiment with different classes and instructors until you find one that works for you? You won't see results overnight, but you should leave sweaty and feel pleasantly sore the next day. No pain no gain is not just a phrase, if you aren't getting sore you are not toning and building muscle.

Don't underestimate walking. Load your kids up and go for a long walk every day. Add some hand/ankle weights as it gets easier.

Remember that diet is 80%, exercise is only 20% so it's important to fuel your body well. Ignore the advice that says 3x a week, we need to do something at least 5x a week. I didn't agree with this one until I tried it 3 years ag. It makes a huge difference and is common sense when you think about it. Look at the people who do manual labor for their work, they don't take every other day off and they thrive. I work out at the gym 5 days a week, walk the other 2.

Go by how you feel when you measure results, not what you see in the mirror. Sometimes we can do all the right things and our bodies do not cooperate! I work out hard 5x a week with weights and heavy cardio, I walk the other days, I eat well, my stamina is the best of my life, I am stronger than I've ever been. But I don't look much different :o( Newbies at gym class are always assuming I just started. I feel great and I know I'm fit, so I have to be happy with that.

Pm settings should not put you in aflutter. All the pm can do is add beats when the heart goes too slowly. If the heart takes off fast on its own, that's generally coming from you and the pm can only sit back and watch. My mom gets afib, it comes more from diet (caffeine or alcohol, mostly) than exercise. She gets fewer episodes when she exercises regularly.

Is your dr ok with you exercising? Has he suggested any exercise or said to stay light? Does he think the flutter was related to exercise? If not, then there's no reason to think it would happen again from exercising. Cardiac rehab might be a good idea, as Sparrow suggested, test the limits under supervision.

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