What Are the Goals of Cardiac Rehabilitation?
The overall goals of cardiac rehab are to help you:
The rehab team will work with you to reach these
goals. You will do this through increased daily physical activity, following a
heart healthy eating plan, quitting smoking, and improving your emotional
health.
Increased Daily Physical Activity
Physical activity lowers your risk for heart
problems, such as a heart attack. It helps reduce LDL ("bad") cholesterol and
increase HDL ("good") cholesterol. It also helps control your blood pressure
and blood sugar level.
Physical activity will help you improve muscle
strength, flexibility, and endurance. It can help you lose weight, which can
lower your risk for heart disease. Physical activity also helps you cope better
with stress, and it may boost your sense of well-being.
Exercise training as part of cardiac rehab may not
be safe for all patients. For example, people who have very high blood pressure
or severe heart disease may not be ready for exercise training. These patients
can still benefit from other parts of the cardiac rehab program.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
(NHLBI) is studying whether exercising as part of rehab is safe for people who
have heart
failure. For more information, see the NHLBIs
HF-ACTION study.
Following a Heart Healthy Eating Plan
Improving your diet will help you control your
cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar. It also may help you lose weight
if youre overweight or obese, which is an important step for lowering
heart disease risk.
The dietitian on your cardiac rehab team will help
you create a personal eating plan.
Quitting Smoking
Quitting smoking will help you control cholesterol
and blood pressure and lower your risk for heart problems. It also will make it
easier for you to take part in physical activities.
Improving Your Emotional Health
Learning how to manage stress, relax, cope with
problems, and build a social support network can improve your emotional as well
as your physical health.
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.
Physical activity helps some people cope with
stress. Other people reduce stress by listening to music or learning to focus
on something calm or peaceful. Some people learn yoga, tai chi, or how to
meditate.
There are many different types of "relaxation
techniques" (ways to relax). By learning to relax and cope with stress, you can
reduce your anxiety and lower your blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol.
This is true even if you don't reduce other risk
factors. Improving your emotional health can decrease your risk of death and
future heart problems. It also can increase the chance that you will quit
smoking and adopt other healthy behaviors.
Your rehab program also may offer individual or
small group counseling to help you.
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