Dealing with heart failure (when the heart can’t pump blood adequately) may make you wary of overexertion, but two studies found that exercising after heart failure actually makes people stronger. Traditionally, heart-failure patients have been told to rest, but this research suggests that physical activity can benefit them. One study found that heart-failure patients who exercise reported having better lives, while the other showed that exercise prolonged life and reduced hospital admissions compared with a group that didn’t exercise. The beneficial exercise regimens started with 15 to 30 minutes of walking, treadmill, or stationary cycling three times a week and then increased in duration, intensity, and frequency up to 40 minutes of exercise five times a week.
Source: Journal of the American Heart Association, April 8, 2009