Cardiac rehabilitation often involves exercise training, emotional support and education about lifestyle changes to reduce your heart disease risk, such as eating a heart-healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight and quitting smoking.
The goals of cardiac rehabilitation include establishing a plan to help you regain strength, prevent your condition from worsening, reduce your risk of future heart problems, and improve your health and quality of life.
Research has found that cardiac rehabilitation programs can reduce your risk of death from heart disease and reduce your risk of future heart problems. The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology recommend cardiac rehabilitation programs.
How you prepare
If you’ve had a heart attack, heart surgery or another heart condition, ask your doctor about joining a cardiac rehabilitation program. Insurance and Medicare often cover the costs of cardiac rehabilitation in the United States. Check with your insurance company to see if your cardiac rehabilitation will be covered.
Your treatment team will work with you to set goals for your cardiac rehabilitation program and design a program that meets your needs. In some cases, a case manager will track your care.
After cardiac rehabilitation
After your program ends, you’ll generally need to continue the diet, exercise and other healthy lifestyle habits you learned for the rest of your life to maintain heart-health benefits. The goal is that at the end of the program you’ll have the tools you need to exercise on your own and maintain a healthier lifestyle.