Exercise/Working out

Hi, Since I've got into afib two weeks ago I've been afraid to exercise. My Dr. said I could go up to 70% of my max but did not want my heartbeat to go more than 170. I tend to do high impact step aerobics or spinning/cycling. Anyone anyone else kept doing exercise while out of rhymn? I'm 41.

Buddy

Buddy

I have continued to spin and/or cyle through bouts of AF. You can wear a heart rate monitor but the numbers must be interpreted carefully. While in AF, you do not have a steady heart rate and in my experience different models of Heart Rate Monitor handle that differently.

I have used the same one for a while now and have learned how to interpret the numbers to keep things under control. This is one advantage of spinning over real cycling, you can adjust the load and/or stop as your heart requires. When you are at the bottom of a steep hill and home is at the top, that is more of a challenge.

I let my body lead, if I am too out of breath I slow down, even if my monitor displays a low rate. In my experience you can see very high numbers (e.g. 230) on the heart rate monitor for brief periods, so it's a good idea to warn the instructor if he/she is in the habit of checking it.

I now take antiarrythmic drugs on demand, I assume that this is why the heart rate I can achieve while spinning seems to vary from session to session. Sometimes I can stay at 145 for a long time, other times I can hardly reach it (this is in NSR).

I have had AF stop during a work-out. Its quite an experience, its like someone just flicked a switch and turned on a turbo-charger.


Chris P

Actually I was glad to see your question. I seem to have an unusual experience in this regard. I have had AF for many years, usually every two or three weeks for three to five days at a time. But when I know I am in AF (I have a patient activated ICD which includes a device that recognizes when I am in AF) my normal routine is to engage in thirty minutes of intensive exercise (stationary bike, running, walking or using a "cross trainer"). This gets me back into sinus rhythm nearly every time. When it doesn't work I set of the defibrillator which nearly always works. But exercise really does usually do the trick. I know that this is not consistent with what many others have said but it is true. My cardiologist (a very prominent ep) says "there is no theoretical basis" for my observation. So I guess either I'm some sort of freak of nature or there is something wrong with his theory. bruce wright

I just posted before reading your reply. I always wear a pulse rate monitor. Typically when I am in AF the readings are high, usually around 150 or so, sometimes as much as 210. When I jump back into sinus (it is quite an experience sometimes) the rate goes down. If I can hold a rate of under 130 for two minutes I am almost certain that the episode is over. By the way sometimes when the exercise doesn't work I lie down and use an icepack for about 15 minutes and sometimes this works even when the exercise didn't. From reading Hans book and this board it is clear to me that I have vagal AF.
I am one of those evil folks who takes sotalol which clearly does slow down the heartrate whatever else it does.
bruce wright

"there is no theoretical basis" is another way of saying "we don't know". I'm not sure there is a theroretical basis for AF let alone why it stops.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have had AF stop while working out. On a couple of occasions this was when I pushed myself too hard and my heart rate went very high just afterwards and then into NSR. The heart rate required to do this is over 250 and so I do not experiment, its a little scary. Its felt as if it was going so fast the AF couldn't keep up.

Chris P

Buddy, I have lone paroxysmal a. f. I can most of the time get back in sinus rythym after 5 to 15 minutes of jogging....jack

I don't think I could even try exercise while in afib as I am way too symptomatic. However, I started brisk walking about 4 months ago and I have seen such an improvement in my afib. I usually have episodes ranging from 2 per week to 2 per month, always lasting 8 to 16 hours with rates from 140 to 180. I have only had 1 (yes one) episode in the last 4 months and it lasted 1 (yes one) hour!!!!!!!!! This is a mildstone for me. I'm almost afraid to think about it!!!! Still have lots of PACs and PVCs and some short bursts of afib (about 10 seconds) but no sustained afib.

I have changed nothing else that I do. No antiarrhythmic drugs. All I take is Atenalol 50mg. and Lanoxin .125 mg. and a couple of things for my back - 3 herneated discs. I take Oyster shell and calcium and chondroitin and a multivitamin.

I think it's the walking. 3.6 miles/day briskly.

Pam

Wow Thanks a lot for your information. I was a bit scared doing aerobics last night, and I wore a heart rate monitor. Since my Dr. said not to go over 170 I was concerned when the monitor when up to 188 but then it would go down to 155 and it was all over the map. If I hadn't worn the monitor I would have been fine since I didn't get exhausted at all. Like some of you, I acutally felt better doing aerobics than resting. Since I think I went into AF after an aerobics class I wondered if I could go back to SR after one. But I didn't.

Buddy

Do two treadmill (45 minutes while watching TV or a video), two weight (30 minutes with a good CD on) and two stretch (15 minutes) workouts per week -- spread out over separate days -- does it for me.

All done in the convenience of our finished basement.

I'm a persistent fibber (cardioverted last year, but it didn't hold for more than a month of so).

LarryG
V / 55