The best way to control the symptoms of congestive heart failure and to help prolong your life is diet and exercise.
Here is a list of exercises you can perform inside the comfort of your home.
Drink plenty of water while exercising! Dehydration is very dangerous!
Note on clothing
When exercising, be sure to wear comfortable, unrestricting clothes. If your clothes restrict the bloodflow
to your limbs, your heart will have to work harder to pump the blood. It is also important to wear
clothes that can "breathe," that is, clothes that air can pass through to your skin.
This will help prevent overheating.
Note on exercise minimums
If possible, exercise for 20 minutes or more. For each minute over 20, you burn more fat than you would if
you were to exercise for short periods of time all day. It is important that you keep moving at a constant pace
so that your heart does not slow. If you stop at any time before 20 minutes, you must completely restart.
IMPORTANT!
It is very important that you don't overexert yourself, as this will place too much stress on your heart.
Remember: It's not how heavy the weight is, but how many times you lift it.
A five pound weight lifted 100 times does you more good than a 50 pound weight lifted 50 times.
Diet
Equally as important as exercise is what you eat and how much of it you eat. For example:
Before you discovered that you were a victim of CHF, you might've eaten
carelessly, or perhaps you didn't pay very much attention to the qualities
of the foods you ate. Now that you know about your condition, you've
probably started paying more attention to your health, and realized that
everything that you do affects your health in some way.
Look for food with the following qualities, and you've taken your first step towards a healthier life:*
Low Cholesterol
Low Sodium
Low Sugar
Low Fat
High Protein
High Calcium
High Fiber
Here's a list of foods that you absolutely MUST NOT EAT:
Anything high in saturated fat
Anything containing caffeine
Refined Carbohydrates
Helpful resources
You can use these resources to help you in your new lifestyle:
