Stepping into Success: Exercise After a Blood Clot

After experiencing a blood clot, it’s important to get back into exercising to keep your heart healthy AND help prevent another PE or DVT from happening — but for many people, returning to exercise may seem challenging.

Here are some easy exercises to help you get back to an exercise routine. (Be sure to talk to your doctor before getting started to determine the best exercise strategy for your particular situation.)

Beginner walking program

Try to choose a route that’s close to home, relatively flat, and has plenty of places to rest along the way. For example, a local park or shopping mall.

Warm up by walking slowly for 5 minutes.

Week 1: Walk for 5 minutes at a comfortable pace 3‐4 times per day.

Week 2: Walk for 10 minutes 3‐4 times per day.

Week 3: Walk for 20 minutes 3 times per day.

Week 4: Walk for 30 minutes 2 times per day.

Week 5: Walk for 40 minutes once daily.

Cool down by walking slowly for 5 minutes.

Your goal is to walk for 30-45 minutes 5-7 days per week.

Strength training [with or without lifting weights]

If you were already taking part in a strength training program, you can ease back into it. If you want to begin weight training and have never lifted weights before, it’s recommended that you seek professional advice. Ask your primary care provider for a referral to a professional who can create an individualized strength training program for you.

Preventing another blood clot

There are many reasons why someone might develop a blood clot. One of those risk factors is long periods of decreased activity, such as sitting on a plane or in a car for several hours. While there’s a very low overall risk of developing a blood clot due to long periods of sitting, periodic movement may help prevent another blood clot. For any plane or car trip longer than 4 hours, get up from your seat and walk for five minutes every hour or two if you’re able to do so safely. You can also perform the following exercises in your seat every hour.