We need to be very clear about this: If you’ve had a heart attack and you’re reading this, you’re not dead.
That means you still can live passionately.
Check with your doctor, but if it’s been at least 10 days since you were released from the hospital, you’re healthy enough to walk at a nice pace for a mile or so, and you can climb two flights of stairs (similar to the advice given to Jack Nicholson’s character in “Something’s Gotta Give”), you’re likely to be cleared for sex.
Unfortunately, most docs don’t talk about post-heart attack sex with their patients.
Only half of male and a third of female patients are ever told when they can restart their love machine. And without that info, many are too timid to test the waters. (To help you feel confident about your stamina and safeguard your health, we typically recommend intensive cardiac rehab after a heart attack.)
Dr. Oz says worrying about sex after a heart attack can be harder on the heart than having sex. Sex reduces stress, and reducing stress (and having a great partner with whom you enjoy life) helps reduce heart-stopping belly fat. That’s one reason why having sex twice a week cuts your risk of heart attack in half.
So snuggle up with your honey, find a position that’s comfortable, and remember, you’re doing this for your health!
The You Docs — Mehmet Oz, host of “The Dr. Oz Show” and Mike Roizen of Cleveland Clinic — are authors of “YOU: Losing Weight.” To submit questions, go to www.RealAge.com. A King Features syndicate.
