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Ascending Aortic Aneurysm and Exercise
Aortic Aneurysms | Last Active: Nov 8, 2023 | Replies (107)Comment receiving replies
I have grilled my surgeon on this several times and he keeps telling me I can workout and lift weight as long as I am not straining (holding my breathe or huffing and puffing so much that my heart is not pumping steadily. Now that I'm on a beta blocker I can't get my heart rate up to 80% of max, so I've stopped worrying about heart rate. It's been a year of 65-70% max heart rate and steady yoga breathing anytime I lift anything and my AAA has not increased or shown any indication of dissection. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but it is better for my health to exercise moderately than not at all.
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Hi,
I think your MD is spot on , as I was given same advice and have been involved with a progressive weight machine regimen coupled with aerobic exercise. My latest MRA shows no growth of 4.4 AAA . I think the trick is how you are breathing when you work out. You can breath fast, and hard, and that's ok, even for HIIT exercise, just don't hold your breath or grunt when pushing weights or regular life. I too have beta blocker and my resting heart rate is in 40's to 50's typically when at rest. After I work out, my BP drops a good 20 to 30 points, though temporarily. In a prior post I opined why I think that general rules about how much weight one should lift etc. unless the individual is assessed is counter productive and fear inducing needlessly. The good news is that after 5 months on my self-styled program, I have lost weight, have more muscle, and don't dwell on my condition anymore.