Sections that show illustrations from the Cardiac Rehab Book redesign

1. Cardiac
Rehabilitation
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2. 2
Checking for Activity Tolerance
As you begin to increase your activity in the hospital and at home, you will need to check how your heart
tolerates this activity.
CountingYourPulse
One way of checking your activity tolerance is to count your pulse. Your pulse is the rate at
which your heart is beating. With activity, the body’s normal response is to increase the rate of
the heart beats. However, since your heart is in a healing process. it is important that you do not
increase that rate to levels that would put a strain on the heart.
Procedure:
1. Place the fingers of one hand on the opposite wrist.
2. Imagine these circles on your wrist. Place fingers 2, 3, 4, on these circles.
3. Place these fingers gently in this area until you can feel the beats
(pulsations). You may have to apply a little pressure or move your
fingers up or down a little.
4. Count these beats for 15 seconds and multiply by 4.
Example: 20 beats
x 4
80 - heart rate for one minute
You may count your pulse for one minute and avoid multiplying if you wish.
1
2
3
4
5
Artery
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3. 3
1. Begin your exercise on the first full day at home.
2. Try to exercise at least 2 hours before or 2 hours
after a meal.
3. Start by walking slowly.
4. Continue completing the exercises on the
handout on a daily basis.
5. Be sure to check your pulse and to rate your
perceived exercise (refer to handout on pulse
taking and rating of perceived exertion).
6. Do your walks inside the house for a few days.
7. Do not walk outside if the temperature is
below 30° or above 80° . Remember to also pay
attention to the wind-chill factor and humidity.
8. Walk where the ground is flat- no hills.
9. Do not use any exercise equipment until you
have seen your physician.
10. Your goal is to walk 30-45 minutes, eventually
reaching 1 1/2 to 2 miles.
Date Weight Warm Up Minutes Cool
Down
Date Weight Warm Up Minutes Cool
Down
Day 1 4-5 Day 15 19
4-5 19
Day 2 6 Day 16 Begin once a
day.
20 min.6
Day 3 7 Day 17
7
Day 4 8 Day 18
8
Day 5 9 Day 19
9
Day 6 10 Day 20
10
Day 7 11 Day 21
11
Day 8 12 Day 22
12
Day 9 13 Day 23
13
Day 10 14 Day 24
14
Day 11 15 Day 25
15
Day 12 16 Day 26
16
Day 13 17 Day 27
17
Day 14 18 Day 28
18
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4. 4
Thegoalsoftheprogramareto:
• Relax muscles that may have tightened during surgery.
• Increase muscle strength around your incision.
• Encourage good posture.
Warm-UpandCoolDownExercises
Ankle Pumps
Before starting any exercise, it is important to warm up.
Start your warm-up with range of motion exercises. Start
with ankle pumps. Do this 10 times a day with each foot.
Ankle Rotations (both directions)
Next do ankle rotations by moving the ankle in a circle.
Do this 10 times a day with each leg.
Hip Flexion (sitting)
While sitting in a chair or on the edge of a bed, raise
your knee toward your chest to warm up the hip joint.
Do this 10 times a day with each leg.
Knee Extension
While sitting in a chair or on the edge of a bed, slowly
straighten your knee and bring your foot back to the floor.
Do this exercise slowly. Do not kick and drop your leg. Do
this 10 times a day with each leg.
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5. 5
Neck Turns (sitting)
Sit with arms relaxed at your side. While holding your
chin to your chest, slowly turn your head from side to
side. Do this 10 times each side.
Shoulder Shrugs (sitting)
Sit with arms relaxed at your side. Try to touch your
shoulders to your ears. Take a deep breath while raising
your shoulders. As your relax, exhale. Make sure shoulders
are brought up equally high and lowered to the same
level. Repeat 10 times.
Arm Extensions (sitting)
Although the pictures reflect a person standing, we
recommend sitting in a chair while performing these
exercises. Begin with arms at your side. Lift arms up to
shoulder level, then out to the sides, back to the middle
and finally back to the sides. Repeat this exercise 10 times.
Marching
March slowly in place, lifting your legs high. You should
hold on to a counter top, chair or table for stability. Do
this exercise 10 times before and after you walk.
Arm Raises (sitting)
Raise your arms above your head once each day to
maintain full shoulder movement. Sit in a chair with no
arms. Clasp your hands together at your waist. Keep your
elbows straight and raise your arms up and over your
head. Slowly return your arms to the starting position.
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