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After a heart attack, Nordic Walking is ideal for the heart

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After a heart attack, Nordic Walking is ideal for the heart

They call it “alternating step”. It allows you to repeat the classic movements of cross-country skiing, with poles that promote balance and allow you to better expand the chest muscles. Thus both the upper and the lower body are engaged. And it increases safety during the brisk walk and keeps the body in the correct position.

The most effective Nordic walking of classic training

For those who love Nordic walking and have to deal with coronary artery problems, perhaps after a heart attack or in the case of angina pectoris, rehabilitation can be really effective. Even more than the classic high intensity training with predetermined intervals or continuous efforts of at least moderate intensity. To launch this hypothesis is a research appeared on the Canadian Journal of Cardiologycoordinated Jennifer L. Reedof the Division of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation of the University of Ottawa.

A challenge to monotony

For those who have serious circulatory difficulties affecting the coronary arteries, which may have already caused a heart attack, a program of physical activity studied by the specialist is essential, also in terms of psychological well-being. But it should not be underestimated that over time it becomes difficult to repeat exercises in the gym or at home, such as the exercise bike, or limit yourself to the usual walk.

Adherence to rehabilitation decreases

All this leads to poor adherence to the rehabilitation process. And it is necessary to identify new forms of physical activity that can be more engaging and easier to follow for those who practice them. In this sense, several researches show how high intensity interval training and Nordic Walking are in many cases more effective than traditional exercise approaches in improving functional capacity. This is measured through a specific test, called a six-minute walk test, which can indicate the risk of events such as heart attacks and strokes in people with changes in the coronary vessels.

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What the research says

The Canadian researchers evaluated the effects of rehabilitation with three modes of exercise over a 3-month period. High intensity interval training was performed in one group, moderate to vigorous intensity continuous training program in the other, and Nordic walking in the third. In the 130 subjects with coronary heart disease considered in the study, previously subjected to specific training then followed for 14 weeks, parameters such as cardiac functional capacity, quality of life and the presence of any signs of depression were monitored.

Nordic Walking is king

On the latter front, it must be said, any rehabilitation program has been found to be useful for improving the mood, as well as the quality of life. But under the aspect of functional capacity, and therefore of cardiac response, the Nordic Walking he made it king. The average objective improvement in functional capacity in those who used racquets to sustain a fast pace was 19%, compared to high intensity interval training (+ 13%) and continuous moderate to vigorous intensity training (+ 12%). According to Reed, “Lower functional capacity predicts a higher risk of future cardiovascular events in people with coronary artery disease. Nordic Walking engages the muscles of the heart, upper and lower body while reducing knee stress. which may have led to major improvements in functional capacity. “

Tailor-made rehabilitation

However, it is essential that every patient with serious heart disease is initiated into a rehabilitation process truly based on his preferences, in order to obtain the best results. Exercise is an effective medicine but like all others it must be taken long-term, so it must become a new lifestyle. It is essential that the rehabilitation program includes a planned transition between the fully supervised training activity in the care facility, and then starts the continuation independently in the long term. Maybe also taking advantage of the potential of Nordic walking.

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Physical activity protects

Those who achieve good technical ability in this discipline can also self-manage the training over time, with benefits for the heart, circulation and mood. For everyone, a warning: to preserve the heart even if it has ailments, it depends on our habits. Physical activity is protective and it helps to make us live morereducing stress and increasing individual well-being.

Change habits

You can be physically active by playing sports, following an exercise program (a planned, structured, repetitive physical activity, the goal of which is to improve or maintain a state of physical efficiency) or even changing the way you behave during the life of a person. every day, walking, cycling, climbing the stairs without using the elevator. The important thing is to move.

Heart under control at home, so the hospital will be more and more virtual

in collaboration with the Cardiology Network IRCSS & NExT-H


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