A cardiac event can end up being a second chance at life for those lucky enough to survive it. Patients often say that while they obviously would rather have not had a heart attack, it may have ended up being the best thing for their long-term health.


It’s easy to associate rehabilitation with strengthening and helping one particular part of the body that is injured, maybe a knee or a shoulder. Cardiac rehabilitation is a comprehensive lifestyle overhaul and is essential to starting new habits. A medically supervised cardiac rehabilitation program begins with the referral from a physician after a cardiac event.

Research shows that people who complete a cardiac rehabilitation program can add up to another five years to their life expectancy.

It’s not just about the heart — cardiac rehabilitation is really about the entire body. In many cases, it’s a person’s entire lifestyle that needs adjusting to get them on the right track to healthier living. It takes eating right, exercising and eliminating unnecessary stress. Rehabilitation programs should be designed for the individual patient, taking into account their medical and personal history, as well as their goals going forward. It can mean learning a whole different way to live. People often need someone to help them through the process and present it in a way that’s not overwhelming and too daunting to attempt.

For example, people who’ve just had a heart attack are understandably concerned about exercising too hard and getting their heart rate too high too soon. Clinical exercise specialists and registered nurses provide a safe environment to begin an exercise regimen and help tailor a plan patients can ease into and build on as they gain strength and confidence.

Rehabilitation programs also offer nutrition classes that can help guide patients to healthier options to cook at home and what to look for when dining out. In many cases, a patient has other risk factors that culminated in the cardiac event. Often times, patients have high cholesterol and high blood pressure, both of which can be significantly reduced by eating a heart-healthy diet and staying active in addition to taking prescribed medication.

With a solid start and foundation in a cardiac rehabilitation program, patients can carve out their own healthy routine and increase their odds of avoiding another cardiac event in the years to come.

Sara Holloway-Smith is the coordinator of the Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Center at Baptist Medical Center–Beaches and is a certified clinical exercise specialist. Baptist HeartWise for Women provides preventative screenings and consultations to help women understand if they are at risk for cardiac disease.