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Tips for Survivors
Fitness Tips for Life After a Heart Attack
A heart attack happens when blood flow to part of the heart muscle is severely reduced or stopped. Often, the flow of blood decreases due to gradual narrowing of the arteries leading to the heart; blood flow also can suddenly stop if a blood clot forms. A heart attack can be a life-altering event, but getting the right information and medications may help heart attack survivors prevent another heart attack and live a full, rewarding life.
Following are some heartfelt living tips to help you prevent a future heart attack and live a healthy life.
Inform and Educate Yourself
Talk to your health care provider about how to prevent a future heart attack and protect your overall heart health. It’s very important to make the right choices now to lower the risk of a future heart attack. With guidance from your doctor, the right treatment plan and a heart-healthy lifestyle, you can prevent a future heart attack and live a fuller, longer life!
Take Action
- Change your diet to help live a heart-healthy life. Making healthy food choices is important. A heart-healthy diet should include smart eating habits, such as limiting salt and unhealthy fats, and making smart choices when eating out.
- Take your heart medications daily as prescribed by your health care provider. Leading cardiologists recommend that heart attack survivors take certain beta-blockers, as well as ACE inhibitors, aspirin and statins. Ask your doctor about an easy-to-follow medication plan to help strengthen and protect your heart.
- Incorporate other healthy choices into your daily lifestyle, including:
- If you smoke, get help to quit
- Control high blood pressure
- Lose weight if you need to
- Exercise
- If you have diabetes, make sure your blood sugar is controlled
Various Resources Are Available to Help
A number of resources are available to help you through this time in your life, including organizations such as Mended Hearts, a nationwide heart patient support group with a mission to inspire hope in heart disease patients and their families. Other organizations include the American Heart Association, InterAmerican Heart Foundation and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, which provide information on how to live a heart-healthy life and prevent a future heart attack. In addition, you can ask your health care team for information about services such as:
- Emergency response systems
- Mental health agencies
- Support groups
- Senior centers
- Meal delivery programs
- Community pharmacies that deliver
- Home health agencies
- Visiting home helpers or nurses’ aides
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