What To Expect During Cardiac Rehabilitation
Cardiac rehab continues on a regular basis for 2 to
3 months. During this time, you learn how to:
- Increase your physical activity and exercise
safely
- Follow a heart healthy eating plan
- Reduce risk factors for future heart
problems
- Improve your emotional health
The rehab team works with you to create a plan that
meets your needs. Each part of cardiac rehab helps lower your risk for future
heart problems.
Overall, you usually work with the team for 6 to 12
months. The length of time depends on your situation. The lifestyle changes you
make during rehab will become more routine. They will help you maintain a
reduced risk for heart disease.
Support from your family can help make cardiac rehab
easier. For example, family members can help you plan healthy meals and do
physical activities. The healthy lifestyle changes you learn during cardiac
rehab can benefit your entire family.
Increase Physical Activity and Exercise Safely
Your cardiac rehab team will assess your physical
activity level to learn how active you are at home, at work, and during
recreation. If your job includes heavy labor, the team may recreate your
workplace conditions to help you practice in a safe setting.
You will work with the team to find ways to safely
add physical activity to your daily routine. For example, you may decide to
park farther from building entrances, walk up two or more flights of stairs, or
walk for 15 minutes during your lunch break.
Your rehab team also will work with you to create an
easy-to-follow exercise plan. It will include time for a warmup, flexibility
exercises, and cooling down. It also may include aerobic exercise and
resistance training.
You will get a written plan that lists each exercise
and explains how often and for how long you should do it.
Youre more likely to make exercise a habit if
you enjoy the activity. Work with the rehab team to find forms of physical
activity that you enjoy and that are safe for you. If you prefer to exercise
with other people, join a group or ask a friend to join you.
You may only be able to tolerate very light
conditioning exercises. The rehab team will help decide what level of exercise
is safe for you.
Aerobic Exercise
Typically, your rehab team will ask you to do
aerobic exercise 3 to 5 days per week for 30 to 60 minutes. The exercise
specialist on your team will make sure that your exercise plan is safe and
right for you.
Examples of aerobic exercise are walking (outside or
on a treadmill), cycling, rowing, or stair climbing.
Resistance Training
Typically, your rehab team will ask you to do
resistance training 2 or 3 days per week. Your exercise plan will show how many
times to repeat each exercise.
Resistance training may include lifting weights
(hand weights, free weights, or weight machines), using a wall pulley, or using
elastic bands to stretch and condition your muscles.
Exercise at the Rehab Center and at Home
At the start of cardiac rehab, you will exercise at
the rehab center. Members of your rehab team will carefully watch you to make
sure you're exercising safely.
A team member will check your blood pressure several
times during exercise training at the rehab center. You also may need an
EKG
(electrocardiogram) to check your heart's activity during exercise. This test
shows how fast your heart is beating and whether its rhythm is steady or
irregular.
Your exercise program will change as your health
improves. After awhile, you will add at-home exercises to your plan.
Follow a Heart Healthy Eating Plan
Your rehab team will help you create and follow a
heart healthy eating plan. This plan will help you reach your rehab goals,
which may include managing your weight, blood pressure, diabetes, kidney
disease,
heart
failure, and/or other health problems that your diet can affect.
You will learn how to plan meals that meet your
calorie needs and are low in saturated and trans fat, cholesterol, and
sodium.
A dietitian or nutritionist may advise you on how to
follow a heart healthy eating plan.
Reduce Risk Factors for Future Heart Problems
Your cardiac rehab team will work with you to
control your risk factors for heart problems. Risk factors include
high
blood pressure,
high
blood cholesterol,
overweight
or obesity,
diabetes, and smoking.
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure raises your risk for future
heart problems. The rehab team will work with you to reach the blood pressure
goal your doctor sets. This goal will depend on factors such as your age and
whether you have heart failure, diabetes, or kidney disease.
Exercising, losing weight, limiting how much salt
and alcohol you consume, and quitting smoking can help you lower your blood
pressure.
You may need medicine to lower your blood pressure
if lifestyle changes aren't enough.
For more information about lowering your blood
pressure, see the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's (NHLBI's)
"Your
Guide to Lowering High Blood Pressure."
High Blood Cholesterol
Too much cholesterol in the blood can cause heart
disease. Your rehab team will work with you to lower high blood cholesterol.
Following a heart healthy eating plan, losing
weight, exercising, quitting smoking, and limiting how much alcohol you drink
can help lower cholesterol. Physical activity also can increase HDL
cholesterol, which is "good" cholesterol.
You may need medicine to lower your cholesterol if
lifestyle changes aren't enough.
For more information about lowering your
cholesterol, see the NHLBI's
"Your
Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol With TLC."
Overweight and Obesity
If you're overweight or obese, your rehab team will
help you set short- and long-term weight-loss goals. You can reach these goals
by following the eating and exercise plans that the team creates for you.
For more information about losing weight or
maintaining your weight, see NHLBIs
"Aim
for a Healthy Weight" patient booklet.
Diabetes
If you have diabetes, your rehab team will work with
you to control your blood sugar level. Following a heart healthy eating plan,
losing weight, and exercising can lower your blood sugar level.
The doctor may suggest that you test your blood
sugar before and after exercising to watch for numbers that are too high or too
low. Your doctors will tell you what numbers to look for.
You may need medicine to lower your blood sugar
level if lifestyle changes aren't enough.
Smoking
Smoking is a risk factor for heart disease. If you
smoke, quitting will help you avoid future heart problems. Quitting can help
lower your blood pressure and keep your cholesterol levels healthy. You also
should avoid secondhand smoke.
It may help to set a "quit date." Some people find
it helpful to enroll in smoking cessation programs or to seek counseling. Other
people find acupuncture or hypnosis helpful.
Your doctor also can prescribe medicines to help you
to quit smoking.
Improve Emotional Health
Psychological factors increase the risk of getting
heart disease or making it worse. Depression, anxiety, and anger are common
among people who have heart disease or have had a
heart
attack or
heart
surgery.
Get treatment if you feel sad, anxious, angry, or
isolated. These bad feelings can affect your physical recovery. Depression is
linked to complications such as irregular heartbeats, chest pain, a longer
recovery time, the need to return to the hospital, and even an increased risk
of death.
The cardiac rehab team needs to know whether you use
alcohol or other substances. Alcohol can raise your blood pressure and harm
your liver, brain, and heart. For more information about limiting alcohol, see
the NHLBI's
Your
Guide to Lowering High Blood Pressure Web pages.
Seeking help is important. Group or individual
counseling helps lower your risk for future heart attacks and death. It also
may motivate you to exercise and help you relax and learn how to reduce stress.
People with heart disease who receive mental health
treatment often show improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol, and other
measures of physical health.
The rehab team may include a mental health
specialist or be able to refer you to one. Without help from a professional,
these problems may not go away.
Some communities have support groups for people who
have had a heart attack or heart surgery. They also may have walking groups or
exercise classes. Help with basic needs and transportation also may be
available.
Counseling for Sexual Dysfunction
People with heart problems sometimes have sexual
problems. The most common is less interest or no interest in sex. Impotence or
premature or delayed ejaculation may occur in men.
Depression, medicines, fear of causing a heart
attack, or diabetes can contribute to sexual problems.
Sexual activity is often safe for low-risk patients.
The maximum heart rate during usual sexual activity is similar to other daily
activities, such as walking up one or two flights of stairs.
Talk to your doctor if you're having sexual problems
and to find out whether sexual activity is safe for you. |