Nutrition and Aerobic Exercise in Chronic Stroke

Exclusion Criteria

• •Already performing aerobic exercise 3 x / week.
• •Increased alcohol consumption defined as greater than 2 oz. liquor or 2 times 4 oz. glasses of wine or 2 x 12 oz. cans of beer per day
• •Cardiac history of: a) unstable angina, b) recent (less than 3 months prior to study entry) myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure (NYHA category II-IV); c) hemodynamically significant valvular dysfunction.
• •Medical History: a) recent hospitalization (less than 3 months prior to study entry) for severe medical disease, b) peripheral arterial disease with vascular claudication, c) orthopedic or chronic pain condition restricting exercise, d) pulmonary or renal failure, e) active cancer, f) untreated poorly controlled hypertension measured on at least 2 occasions (greater than 160/100) g) type I diabetes mellitus, untreated and / or poorly controlled diabetes with fasting blood glucose of greater than 170 and HbA1c greater than 10.0, h) medications: heparin, warfarin, lovenox, oral steroids i) currently pregnant.
• •Neurological history of: a) dementia with Mini-Mental Status Score less than 23 (less than 17 if education level at or below 8th grade), and diagnostic confirmation by neurologist or psychiatrist, b) severe receptive or global aphasia which confounds testing and training, operationally defined as unable to follow 2 point commands, c) neurologic disorder restricting exercise, such as Parkinsons Syndrome or myopathy, d) untreated major depression.