Exercising after an angioplasty may seem counter-intuitive. My first thought was to conserve as much energy as possible so as not to strain my heart and my circulatory system. My doctor had other ideas and I completed a six-week physical rehab program to get over the fear that exercising would kill me, literally.

At my one-year post-surgery checkup, my doctor encouraged me to continue exercising regularly, even saying it would help me feel less tired.

So recently, I went ahead with plans to walk a 5K with my wife and friends in Milwaukee, the city where I went to undergrad school and so where I still feel most like a teenager, as silly as that might sound. In 2009, I had run the same 5K as part of my then fitness regime. It was my second of two 5K runs that year. Continue reading “Exercising after angioplasty — yes you can” →