How keeping fit can help you after a heart attack or stroke

An essential part of rehabilitation is to help you to reduce your risk of having a heart attack or a stroke in the future. Remaining positive is part of that process and there are many other things you can do to keep yourself fit.

• If you survive a heart attack, there is an 18 per cent chance that you could have a second one within three years — or, if you look at it another way, a 72 per cent chance that you won't.
• Similarly, if you survive a stroke, you have a 25 per cent chance of suffering another within five years, or a 75 per cent chance that you won't.

There are countless ways in which lifestyle changes can cut your cardiovascular risk. Here are a few things to consider:

• Having a stressful job more than doubles your risk of another heart attack within two years of the first one.
• Quitting smoking after a heart attack reduces your risk of a future attack by 32 per cent.
• Controlling high blood pressure is especially important, as high blood pressure is a significant risk factor for strokes.
• Increasing your level of physical activity after a heart attack reduces your risk of having another one by 78 per cent.
• Moderate exercise and eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day can reduce stroke risk in men and women by about a quarter.
• Men and women who have one or two glasses of red or white wine per day more than halve their risk of a second heart attack compared with those who don't.
• But there is no benefit in exceeding the recommended limits: one serving per day for women and one to two for men. Excess alcohol intake is a well-established risk factor for both heart attack and stroke.

Doing exercise after you have had a heart attack or a stroke is one of the most important factors in your recovery, but the prospect can seem daunting.

• Remember that exercise will be recommended only if your doctors judge that you are sufficiently fit.
• Before starting an exercise program, heart patients are sometimes asked to undergo an echocardiogram (a test that allows medical staff to visualize the heart by bouncing sound waves off it) to assess their heart function, and a treadmill test to check that that their heart can cope with a moderate exercise routine without problems.
• Doctors advocate regular exercise as the best way to strengthen your heart after an attack.
• Two types of exercise in particular are recommended: aerobic exercise — such as walking, jogging, cycling or swimming — and careful resistance (strength) training.

After suffering a heart attack or stroke, you're sure to take a closer look at your activity level and overall health. Keep these tips in mind to help you get on the path to better health.