Safe Sport and Exercise Participation

Keeping Active and Doing Regular Exercise is Important for People with Congenital Heart Conditions and has Many Potential Health Benefits

Most people don’t do enough exercise – it’s a fact. This isn’t just people with congenital heart conditions, it’s everybody. We are increasingly recognising how important exercise is for our general health including our heart health, and also for our mental health which is really important.

Virtually everybody with a congenital heart condition will benefit from exercise and as long as you follow advice, the benefits should outweigh the small risks associated with exercising. It’s important to talk to your medical team first, as there are some sports and activities that are not suitable for everybody with congenital heart conditions, or for people taking certain medications, like warfarin for example.

It’s also important to build up gradually, espcially if you haven’t done much exercise for some time. Sometimes your medical team may recommend an exercise test or other heart tests before you start an exercise program, but for others this will not be necessary – just talk to them first.

Watch our video about getting started with exercise to find out more. If you are keen to do more vigorous exercise, endurance events or competitive sport, then we have a video for that too. Alternatively click on the links at the bottom of the page for more information.