Bounce back after a heart attack

Cardiologist B K Goel offers tips on how to bounce back after a heart attack and enjoy a full life again The heart is the hardest working muscle in the human body, which functions until your last breath. Like all other muscles in the body, it requires oxygen rich blood to perform to its optimal capacity. When there is interruption in the blood supply, due to blockage or plaque formation in the arteries, you experience a heart attack. Causes could be several ranging from unhealthy diet to lack of exercise to excessive smoking as well as alcohol consumption. However, few people are lucky to survive one. Dr B K Goel, a leading cardiologist at the Bombay Hospital, says, "Even if you have suffered a heart attack, making lifestyle changes can help you live a longer, healthier and enjoyable life. Exercise, eat fresh and wholesome food, and become more active in your every day life. All this will lower your blood pressure, improve your cholesterol level and boost your metabolism, thus reducing the chance of a second heart attack." Diet changes Cholesterol is one of the major culprits for a heart attack. "Cholesterol is a fat like substance found in all body cells," says Goel. "Your liver produces all the cholesterol required by your body to form cell membranes and make certain hormones. Extra cholesterol enters your body when you eat meat, eggs and dairy products. Too much cholesterol in the blood can lead to plaque formation on the artery walls leading to a heart attack." Maintaining a low fat, low carbohydrate diet will give you healthy results. When selecting foods it is important to check the ingredients for total saturated fatty acids, cholesterol fat and sodium, as high amount of these can signal trouble. Certain foods may not contain cholesterol at all but may have high amounts of saturated fats, which is bad for the heart. Consult a nutritionist and make sure the total intake of fat should not be more than 30 per cent of your total calories daily. Saturated fatty acid intake should be less than 10 per cent of your daily calories. Cholesterol intake should be no more than 300 milligrams per day and sodium intake should be less than 3000 milligrams per day. Have raw fruits and vegetables with their skins. Fish and chicken can be eaten in grilled, baked and roasted form. Intake of raw garlic (30 gm) per day is preferable. Restrict the intake of bakery products, fried foods, papad, pickles, pastries, meat, eggs and dry fruits. Exercise You will need five-six weeks to completly recover from a heart attack. You may initially perform some light jobs for few days and gradually increase your volume of activity. After recovery, incorporate cardiovascular activity such as walking, gardening, swimming, dancing and cycling. "These activities increase your breathing rate and strengthen your heart muscle by improving your body's ability to extract oxygen from the blood," says Goel. "One should aim to be moderately active for 30 consecutive minutes on most days of the week." You may also go for strength exercises or resistance training which involve the use of free weights and weight machines. "Resistance exercise does not increase the strength of your heart like cardiovascular exercises does, but it helps you control your weight. This kind of exercise is not recommended for people with uncontrolled high blood pressure or heart disease. Check with your doctor before doing so," he says. If you experience any of the following symptoms while exercising - Chest pain, dizziness, nausea, cramp like pain in legs, breathlessness lasting for 10 minutes, fatigue and palpitations - stop it immediately, and consult your doctor. Manage stress Uncontrolled stress and anger may trigger the risk of a second heart attack. All of us go through ups and down in life. Everyday arguments at your workplace, traffic jams and hectic work schedules only make stress levels worse. If it's not possible to avoid stress, you need to learn ways in which you can manage and lower your stress levels. Maintain a diary - Note down the situations that trigger stress. Identify your reaction to them and slot the ones that are most stressful to you. Learn to stay calm and controlled. If traffic jams irritate you, listen to some calming music Stay positive - Your thoughts control, thoughts put stress on your heart. Meditate if need be Learn to relax - You don't have to bring work home every day. Relax and enjoy your free time. Try yoga or massage therapy to help yourself Sleep well - A good sleep will relax your heart and give it rest to function efficiently the next day. Try to get the required eight hours of sleep every day.