Exercise after a heart attack is key

After having a heart attack, some people may be nervous to exert themselves, as that increases their heart rate. However, exercise after a heart attack is important to your recovery.  

TidalHealth offers cardiac rehabilitation programs at its hospitals in Seaford, Del., and Salisbury, Md., for people who have had heart attacks, or have had other heart conditions. 

Patients are referred to the program by their physician and will participate in guided exercise at a pace appropriate for their individual condition, under the supervision of medical team members. 

Patients do not have to be athletes to reap the benefits of cardiac rehabilitation. Some may need to take breaks, or what is called intermittent exercise, while others may not.  The medical team members monitor each patient’s heart rate and rhythm, oxygen saturation and perceived exertion, and diabetic patients’ glucose levels are checked before and after exercise.  

The cardiac rehabilitation program also offers the opportunity for patients to talk with others who have experienced similar circumstances and to gain motivation from others. Once patients start working out, they start feeling better, sleeping better and gaining energy. Tasks such as walking to or from the rehabilitation sessions from the car can become easier as the patient’s functional capacity improves, and they get more used to exercise.  

In TidalHealth’s cardiac rehabilitation programs, in addition to exercising, participants learn about heart health in a variety of sessions; for example, food choices, dealing with stress and stopping smoking.  Patients also learn about their target heart rate for exercise, which can be helpful for exercising at home. 

Cardiac rehabilitation stats 

For about a quarter of the people who have heart attacks in the United States each year, it’s not their first, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  

People with Medicare can enroll in 36 sessions of cardiac rehabilitation after a heart attack. According to Million Hearts®, an initiative of the CDC and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, those who attend all the sessions, compared to patients who just attend once:  

The American College of Sports Medicine and the CDC recommend healthy adults ages 18 to 65 get in at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week and strength train at least twice a week. Building muscle strength also leads to stronger bones, which can result in less falls and related injuries. 

Continuing exercise after cardiac rehabilitation  

Cardiac rehabilitation is often referred to as Phase II. Once a patient completes Phase II, they can continue exercising at TidalHealth Adult Fitness in Salisbury or Ocean Pines, which also requires a provider’s referral. TidalHealth Adult Fitness provides an opportunity for people to exercise with continued medical support, guidance and instruction from the medical team members on-site.