Ask the doctor: Does exercise help damaged heart muscle?
Walking (and other forms of aerobic exercise) after a heart attack does several things. It strengthens the remaining heart muscle. It keeps your arteries flexible, which makes it easier for your heart to pump blood through the thousands of miles of the circulatory system. It also helps fight atherosclerosis, the process that most likely led to your heart attack. This is crucial, because it is not the heart attack you just had that you should worry about — it is preventing the next one. Exercising five times a week is a great way to do this.
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