Cardiac Rehab Exercise

The most important part of cardiac rehabilitation program is doing exercise. With the exercise if the person does some lifestyle changes such as stopping smoking and eating a well balanced diet, it reduces the risk of future heart problems.

There is an exercise test taken before actually starting the cardiac rehab exercise program. This test result will indicate that what type of exercise you can do safely and how soon you can start the exercise.

The cardiac rehabilitation exercise program contains four different phases.

Phase I: The phase starts while the patient is still in the hospital and requires education about risk reduction as well as guide for returning home safely.

Phase II: It is a medically monitored outpatient exercise program that can last within three months.

Phase III: In the third phase of the exercise program, medical monitoring and supervision is done by well trained doctors.

Phase IV: This exercise program is designed for the patients who are referred by physicians and having the risk of heart disease and willing to make lifestyle changes.

Benefits of Cardiac Rehab Exercise:

Help you control your diabetes.
Lower your blood pressure.
Reduce your symptoms of heart failure.
Lower your risk of dying of heart disease.
Make your chest pain less severe and happen less often.
Lower your cholesterol levels.
It helps you to maintain your weight or lose the weight. Exercise combined a well balanced nutritious diet, can reduce your body weight. This in turn reduces the risk of coronary artery disease. One most important thing is that it helps prevent regaining weight.

Exercise program can improve your endurance, quality of life and muscle strength. After doing exercise in cardiac rehab program for three months you slowly increase your ability to exercise by 30% to 50%.

Exercise can help alleviate depression, anxiety and stress. You also experience an improved sense of wellness and your daily activities like carrying groceries will be easier to complete.

Walking on a treadmill, riding a stationary bike, and resistance training are the types of exercise that you may perform during the early phases of cardiac rehab.