I've been put back in rehab. It's so I can be babysat while I'm on my new, not so safe pills and wearing my heart monitor. It also gives the people monitoring me a set time to pay attention. Pretty cool.
What do I DO in rehab? A bunch. I go three times a week for exercise and once a week for heart class. The class is where you learn nifty things like what's wrong with you, how not to kill yourself eating McDonald's, and what to do if you manage to get in trouble again. Sometimes you get to look at plastic heart models and sometimes you get Cheerios coupons. It's a mixed bag.
When I get there I sign in then weigh myself. My weight is recorded while I pick up my heart monitor and attach it to my skin. Lucky me, I get to wear two for a month. The staff moves around and takes all of our resting blood pressures. Ready to start!
We warm up with stretches then do about 5 minutes of free weights. I'm allowed the 5 pounders. This is an upgrade from the pink 2 pound ones they made me start with. After weights, we break up and get to our cardio machines. We spend 15 minutes each on the 3 machines we've been assigned. I've got treadmill, rowing machine, and the elliptical in that order.
There are only two TV's in this gym. They show our heart rates. Isn't that entertaining? We're numbers and wavy lines, running across the screen. While we're working out, the fabulous staff is working. They walk around, talking to each of us and taking our working blood pressures. They also check for changes in our health and record any medication changes.
After breaking no more then a mild sweat, we're done for the day. We cool down then wait for our blood pressure to be taken for the 3rd and last time. Once we're clear, we turn in our heart monitors and peel off our lead stickers. The guys actually shave patches of their chests. Imagine taking off fuzz and skin 3 times a week. Ouch!
This is the bare minimum of my workout routine and it's pretty much all I'm allowed for now. The goal is to get my heart used to working hard without putting any strain on it. I do some stuff at home to but that's another post.
Does this sound like a gym you want to visit? No? Kinda sucks huh? While they do their best to make it nice for us, yes. It sucks. Guess what. A sedentary lifestyle is a leading cause for two of the biggest boogymen in bad health. Heart disease and diabetes. Even a little exercise a week will greatly increase your odds of never going to a cardiac rehab gym. Go figure. Going to a gym will help keep you out of THIS gym. All I can say is pick your poison. Either way, most of us end up going.
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