Exercise with Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Hello,
I am 22 years-old and was diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy about 7 months ago (likely genetic). I was very close to receiving an ICD implant, but some improvement with my medication postponed it at least for the foreseeable future.
I was cleared recently by my doctor for jogging/light weight toning exercises. Does anyone have exercises they do to help keep active and slowly lose weight? I don't want to overdo it, and it's definitely a scary thing to get back into.
Hi. @tgilly. I see you are new to our community, having just joined yesterday. Glad to see you are already engaging in conversation here. Thank you for sharing your personal experience with us. So glad to hear that you improved so that you do not need an ICD, and that you were medically cleared to begin exercising. There have been threads where community members have discussed this topic before in our community, so I look forward to one of them chiming in here. In the meantime, we also have some articles on this topic, and I will give you a link where you can see these articles if you are interested (https://heart-failure.net/search?s=exercising). Also, if you are looking for a specific exercise program, this may also be a great discussion to have with your physician, who knows you best and may be able to offer suggestions. What do you think? John. heart-failure.net community moderator
Welcome to our community and thank you for sharing your story with us! I also was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy (at 25), so I know exercising can be daunting at first. I too agree with , I would say talk to your doctor to see which exercises they recommend. Olivia Rose -Moderator 
Have you gone through a cardiac rehab program? I went through one following my MI and CHF diagnosis and it helped. Not only did we go slow, allowing me to build up my stamina, but my heart was monitored the entire time for safety. Ask your physician if you might benefit. It was a good safe way to resume activity for me. It might be for you.
I went through the rehab program after a double bypass. I have heart failure and a mitral valve problem. I thought they were trying to kill me! However, I came to enjoy it and was reassured after each class that I was not going to drop dead. That sounds dramatic but I had lost so much confidence that leaving my home alone caused me anxiety. I convinced myself that I was one heartbeat only away from collapsing. Ridiculous, but scary at the time. When the rehab program finished I knew I had to continue so I joined a gym. I found this boring after a while but there was an exercise class based on Tennis drills. I joined and enjoyed it and so started playing tennis. This was 10 years ago and I play still. Not as good as I was 10 years ago as I am 70 years old now! Both my doctor and cardiologist have no objections.
