What can I do at home?

Managing your coronary heart disease at home is important. Discuss with your GP or physiotherapist about having a self-management plan to help prevent or manage crises. Take all your medication as recommended and be able to recognise the signs of worsening disease or angina, so you can respond quickly before it gets worse. It is best to speak to your GP or physiotherapist about a self-management plan if you do not already have one.

The best thing to do at home is to exercise daily and lead an active lifestyle. A good aim is to undertake at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week. Brisk walking is a safe and easy way to achieve this if you are not used to exercising. You can pace yourself using the ‘talk test’ (ie, if you can walk and talk without being short of breath, that is the correct pace for you).

In addition, avoiding too much sedentary time during the day is important (eg, avoid sitting down for too long, watching television). Some people wear activity trackers such as Fitbits, pedometers or smartphones to track the number of steps they take each day. This is a great way to monitor your activity levels and ensure you are keeping up an active lifestyle. Aim to do 10 000 steps every day.

Remember to listen to your body, as it sets the safe limits for you. Ensure your coronary heart disease is well controlled before you start exercising and talk to your doctor or physiotherapist before you start, to check that it is safe to do so.