What to Expect During Cardiac Rehab

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Phase 1: Recovery from Surgery

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Technically, this phase starts the minute you can dangle your legs over the bed or move into a chair.
           
“Cardiac rehab varies from institution to institution, but it’s always started sooner rather than later,” says David Z. Prince, M.D., director of the cardiac recovery program at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York. When you’re able to move into a regular room you’ll be put on a monitor, which transmits information on your heart activity to a central location. “The more you’re moving, the better,” Prince says.

Once you’re able to leave the hospital, you’ll get instructions on what kinds of activities you can do at home. “There are no hard-and-fast guidelines, but you should be as active as you feel comfortable,” Prince says. To keep your strength and mood up, it’s important to keep moving, says Ruth Gassmann, R.N., coordinator of the cardiac rehab program at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines.