quick tip

Get a life extension. A 15-year study of heart patients found that those who engaged in physical activity daily improved their symptoms of coronary disease, and extended their lives.

Heart Disease (Johns Hopkins University

Press, 2008). Stress increases heart rate and blood pressure, both of which make the heart work harder, Granato explains. And it doesn’t help that during stressful times we often end up indulging other heart-zapping behaviors, such as eating junk food, smoking, drinking too much, skipping regular exercise and/or not getting the requisite amount of sleep.

Nieca Goldberg, M.D., medical
director of New York University’s

Women’s Heart Program suggests the following tips for managing stress.

●

Think rationally: Break the stressful situation down into controllable parts.

● Behave assertively (but not aggressively).

● Vent anger by confiding in a friend, loved one or counselor.

● Try a relaxation method, such as meditation, prayer or exercise.

● Get enough sleep.

● Exercise regularly to lessen stress hormones.

●

Find something to laugh about (read humor books, listen to jokes, watch funny movies with friends or family members).

Get Moving. You may be worried after a heart attack that it’s not good to make your heart work harder by exercising, but exercise is part of a long-term recovery plan. And the first step is literally taking a step. The average heart attack patient should walk for five to seven minutes two or three times daily, starting within days after the heart attack, according to Goldberg.

Within a few weeks of your heart attack, your doctor will likely do a cardiac stress test to determine how much

exercise will be safe for you. A cardiac stress test takes your heart for a bit of a “test drive” to gauge how it reacts to exercise as you walk on a treadmill that progressively goes faster and steeper. Based on your results, your doctor will develop an individualized exercise prescription. Follow this advice closely on how much exercise is safe for your heart.

If you are the spouse of a heart attack survivor, making time to exercise as a couple (even an after-dinner walk together) ensures that exercise becomes a regular occurrence. Ian and Denise signed up for yoga and Pilates classes together, which, he says, really helped him stay committed.

Reconnect With Sex.

Now for some good news: Many people can return to sexual activity just a few weeks after a heart attack (if it was not complicated by heart failure),