If you or a loved one have heart problems, you should know there’s a path to improved health and well-being through cardiac rehabilitation. Cardiac rehab is a medically supervised program that involves a long-term commitment from you and a team of health care professionals. Its goal is to return you to an active lifestyle and reduce your risk of developing further heart problems. It works toward those goals through a combination of exercise training, education about a heart-healthy lifestyle and counseling to reduce stress.
Take control of your heart health
Physical activity is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. But if you’ve had a heart attack or heart surgery, you may wonder how much you can exert yourself without overtaxing your heart. Cardiac rehab can help you safely and gradually increase your activity level to strengthen your heart. First, a health care expert will closely monitor you as you exercise. They will watch your heart rate and blood pressure and your heart’s electrical activity. This will help you exercise safely and feel more confident about your ability to engage in safe activity levels.
Another essential part of cardiac rehab is learning about living a heart-healthy lifestyle. Healthy eating habits can help you reduce many risk factors for heart disease. A balanced, nutritious diet assists you in reaching and maintaining a healthy weight and controling blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels if you have diabetes. Additional components of the program include:
• Receiving personal help to quit and stay tobacco-free if you use tobacco.
• Learning relaxation skills to help you manage and reduce stress.
• Meet other people who have been through a similar experience. Rehab participants often find the mutual encouragement and support of other people in rehab extremely valuable.
Individualized care
Cardiac rehab begins with a complete assessment of your health. Then, your rehab team will tailor a plan to meet your needs and condition. You can expect to participate in the program anywhere from a few to several months. When you “graduate” from your cardiac rehab program, you will have all the tools you’ll need to continue a heart-healthy lifestyle on your own.
Jennifer Fjell, MSN, RN, CWOCN, CLT, is the director of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and WOC Health at Columbus Community Hospital.
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