Recovering from a heart attack is no easy feat. Sometimes, the process can take several months before you start feeling like yourself again. You will most likely need to undertake some serious lifestyle changes, which can be difficult in and of itself. Follow these tips on recovery after a heart attack to make the transition as seamless and easy as possible.
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Adopt a Heart-Healthy Diet
One of the biggest lifestyle changes you can make to prevent another heart attack is to change your diet. Eating a heart-healthy diet means staying away from excessive saturated fats, salt, and cholesterol.
Good options to start incorporating into your diet following a heart attack include fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, legumes, and nuts.
A Mediterranean-style diet works well for patients recovering from a heart attack.
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Get Sufficient Exercise
Another lifestyle change that proves to be challenging (although very beneficial) to patients post-heart attack is an increase in daily movement or exercise. You’ll start slowly, and you’ll be monitored by healthcare professionals to determine what your capacity for exercise is. Gradually, you’ll want to increase your exercise to 30 minutes per day, most days of the week.
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Maintain a Healthy Blood Pressure
If you’ve suffered a heart attack, chances are that your doctor will want you to take action in order to reduce your blood pressure. Thankfully, the two aforementioned lifestyle changes (diet and exercise) naturally lower blood pressure.
If you are able to follow a heart-healthy diet and get enough exercise, your blood pressure will lower on its own.
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Maintain a Healthy Weight
Similar to achieving and maintaining a healthy blood pressure, your weight will also adjust following the lifestyle changes recommended for heart attack patients. With the right diet and enough exercise, you’ll more-than-likely be able to shed some extra weight that puts you at increased risk for another heart attack.
If you’re following the recommendations of your doctor but have not seen an improvement in blood pressure or weight, let your doctor know. Additional testing may be required.
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Manage Your Mental Health
Stress and mental health play an important role in cardiac health. Stress can sometimes be a trigger for heart attack patients, whereas people who have suffered a heart attack in the past are more prone to depression.
Keep an eye on how you are feeling, stay mindful, and let your doctor know immediately if you feel you’d benefit from extra help.
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Quit Smoking
Plain and simple, you’ve got to quit smoking after you’ve had a heart attack. It’s imperative, and probably the most effective lifestyle change you can make. In addition to improving your heart health, quitting smoking also improves your breathing ability and overall quality of life.
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Follow Doctors’ Orders
Your doctor may recommend you start a daily regimen of low-dose aspirin to act as a blood thinner following a heart attack. Try an enteric-coated aspirin if you are prone to gastrointestinal issues.
Follow any other recommendations made by your healthcare provider on the route to heart attack recovery.
