Cardiac Rehab

I increased the intensity of my workout again this morning at Cardiac Rehab. My blood pressure reading before I began was 116/67, and by the time the workout ended, it was down to to 90/56. My oxygen saturation is still at 100%. One of the other workout participants commented to me that he'd mentioned to the exercise physiologist he'd never heard of any other cardiac patient having 100% oxygen saturation, and the exercise physiologist said it was rare, and that I just have a healthy set of lungs.

I'm walking on the treadmill at 3.4 miles per hour, which is considerably better than the 2.8 miles per hour I was doing before my cardiac episode. At this rate, I should be walking pretty briskly by the end of 36 sessions.

The treadmill I use has a capacity weight of 250 pounds (I'm way, way, under that, of course). There are two other treadmills, one with a weight capacity of 350 pounds, and one that can accommodate 500 pounds. One very large man who attends a workout session just before me weighs about 400 pounds, I think. I haven't seen him on a treadmill. He's usually seated at a cardio-stepper when I arrive, and a staff member is checking his blood sugar. He also uses oxygen. I assume he does work out, but I don't know how much. I wonder how Cardiac Rehab handles people weighing more than 500 pounds. I'm not sure a person of such extreme weight could even handle much of a workout.

All of us at Cardiac Rehab have found that we need to make lifestyle changes. For instance, I've learned that I need to reduce sodium intake and increase grains in my diet, but for this very large man, changes will be super difficult. Today, the registered nurse took the gentleman and his wife to the conference area to explain how many calories a day he should consume, and the advisability of limiting fats in his diet. The poor man will feel like he's starving if he sticks to a plan that restricts him to the degree suggested by the nurse. I remember how hungry I felt when I began Weight Watchers, and I wasn't obese. I hope this man has the courage to do what is necessary to become heart healthy. He's going to need a lot of help and support from his wife. Since she brought along a legal pad and took lots of notes, I think she's firmly in her husband's corner.