overloading your heartbeat.
Exercise bikes, elliptical machines, and treadmills are also safe workouts for people with AFib.
Lifting light weights can be a good workout to build muscle tone and strength without straining your heart.
A brisk walk is suitable for almost everyone with AFib, and the fresh air will make you feel better, both mentally and physically.
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Watch For Symptoms
If exercising causes pain, extreme breathlessness, or exhaustion, stop and consult with a doctor before you try to work out again. In these cases, strenuous exercise can be more harmful or helpful. You may need to take tests to make sure you haven’t developed a new problem.
Other AFib symptoms that may make exercising more difficult include:
- Heart palpations or flutters
- Dizziness and lightheadedness
- Excessive sweating
- Anxiety
- Shortness of breath
To avoid these symptoms, try short exercise periods of 5-10 minutes at first to ensure that exercise won’t cause you to feel lightheaded or faint. As you become more comfortable with short periods of exercise, try gradually adding 5-10 minutes of exercise at a time until you feel like you’ve reached a satisfying personal fitness goal.
More Reasons to Exercise
Regular physical activity helps people get more out of their lives. Aside from the heart benefits, adding regular physical activity to your daily routine can help you to:
- Strengthen your heart and prevent heart conditions
- Lose weight and ease symptoms/episodes of AFib
- Reduce stress and increase the ability to breathe deeply
- Feel better, make healthier food choices, improve your sleep quality, and improve your sex drive.