By Matthew Smith
I want to share my fitness story because I think it’s always good to share and hopefully inspire people similar to myself. Or, maybe it might somehow inspire someone with a completely different perspective to see things from a different point of view.
I’m 56 and had always been in just average shape. When I was a kid, I thought I was quite the athlete, but then other kids got bigger, faster, and stronger, so l became more of an artist rather than an athlete. Over time, I sadly became a smoker, drinker, and fun party guy. I was never completely out of shape, but I was definitely not living a healthy lifestyle and carrying a few extra pounds.
Fast forward to May 3rd, 2020, at around 4pm, when I suffered a sudden and severe heart attack. 100% blockage to my heart caused by atherosclerosis or plaque build up in my arteries. Heart disease is something that can happen to the young and the old. Even people with a healthy lifestyle can tragically be affected sometimes but there are things we can do to give us a better chance against it. Reducing stress, being happy, eating well, healthy sleeping habits and exercise all go a long long way to keeping heart disease at bay. After finally making it to the hospital on that tragic day they were placing two stents in my artery near my heart and I went into cardiac arrest. I needed a shock to restart my heart. I spent five days in intensive care, and that’s when I knew my life had changed forever.
Since that fateful day, I have not had a single cigarette and only very rarely enjoy a drink, and l’ve devoted myself to living a healthy lifestyle. I eat very well now, and I exercise daily.
My recovery all started with walking; when I first got home from the hospital, I could barely walk around a city block but soon after trying to go a little further each day, I was walking 5km with my happy labrador, Rigby, right there with me. We walked many kilometres together, and it led me to more physical activity when I joined Apple Fitness+. It came out in the fall of 2020 (perfect timing in my recovery) and I started doing Yoga, HIIT, Strength, Core and Time to Walk. I was also out on the water kayaking every week that summer as I live on Lake Erie in southwestern Ontario, and of course, still doing my happy dog walking with Rigby!
It all went well until it didn’t.
In November 2021, I was diagnosed with the first stage of heart failure. That was very difficult to hear, especially after a year of working so hard to recover. So again, I had to dig a little deeper and forge ahead. Leaning on my physical achievements up to that point, I didn’t give up, but I also didn’t want to overwork myself. And that’s where Gentler Streak has really helped me.
I really enjoy Apple’s app store because it’s filled with the work of developers from all over the world making some incredibly useful and beautiful applications. So, I am always exploring apps that fit with my life and what I’m doing. Gentler Streak immediately caught my eye because its so pleasing to look at in every way, the colours, the animation and the positive thoughtful text throughout. Gentler Streak brings the sometimes overwhelming amount of heath data into a thoughtful, simple, clear and actionable app that I’ve found essential to my wellbeing. Apple Fitness+ and the Apple Watch, iPhone, and Apple TV have been huge in my fitness story. Oh, and I can’t forget my Beats Fit Pros because they are great too! For all this fantastic hardware to be useful, you need fantastic software. I have a few seriously good fitness apps - Zones, Training Today, Cardiogram, HeartWatch, CardioBot, Pedometer++, I could go on but my favourite is definitely Gentler Streak. It really has helped change my life in a very positive way.
It’s incredible how out of such tragedy so many positive and wonderful things will happen.
I am a huge fan of Fitness+ and use their service daily combined with Gentler Streak. Over the last three years using both I’m now in much better shape and way happier than before my heart attack. I’ve added more types of Apple Fitness+ workouts to my routine like Kickboxing, Dance, Mindful Cooldowns and Meditation. I can proudly say that I have over 1750 Fitness+ workouts completed! (Love my Apple medals!) Fitness+ and Gentler Streak work so well together and even though it’s called Gentler, the app definitely keeps me moving so I stay within my path without overreaching. I really do thank it and Apple for being the main reason I’m doing so well.
It will be 5 years this May that I suffered the heart attack and I’m doing great but it’s not like I’m out of the woods regarding health. The HA caused irreparable damage and I am still afflicted with mid range heart failure even though I thankfully do not show symptoms and I am on lots of medication but I do not let that slow me down, in fact it’s inspiration to keep moving so I never show the debilitating symptoms that so many heart patients suffer. My doctor says that with my new healthy lifestyle and the meds there’s no reason why I won’t live to 100. Every heart patient is different, I’ve learned, and unfortunately some are not capable of doing the kind of exercise I do, but the doctors say I should do as much as I can and don’t place any limits on me so I just go for it! If you suffer from heart disease, please speak to your doctor about the type of exercise you can do and what your limits are. Be careful and mindful but determined and build your recovery gently. Please know that the body has an incredible way of healing itself with proper care and attention.
I’m now almost effortlessly living a consistently healthy way of life that’s full of exercise, mindfulness, good sleep and healthy eating. I say effortlessly because with the right tools its not hard to stick with it, in fact, it becomes a joy and I look forward to my time on the mat or eating my healthy salad!
I have also learned with help from Gentler Streak not to overdo it but also and very importantly to stick with it!
It’s a delicate balance, Gentler Streak and Apple has helped me find it. Thank you!
Finding Balance After a Heart Attack—With Gentler Streak & Apple Fitness+ / Heart failure is still part of my story, but it doesn't define me