1. Heart Health Benefits of Exercise Jeff Redekopp MS CSCS RCEP Cardiopulmonary Rehab Manager Trinity Health

2. General Benefits of Regular Exercise Helps prevent and manage disease Weight Control Maintains and improves bone and joint health Maintains and improves muscle strength Mood Improvement Energy Improvement Promotes Better Sleep Can be a fun way to spend time

3. Heart Disease Management Regular exercise along with healthy eating habits can reduce the risk of developing heart disease Regular exercise can help control/manage: Heart Disease Risk Factors: High Blood Pressure Diabetes High Cholesterol Obesity Smoking (cessation) Depression/Anxiety/Stress

4. Importance of Exercise in Recovery from a Heart Event Exercise will help to counteract the loss of physical function due to the effects of inactivity Sedentary Lifestyle Exercise lowers risk of heart attack and increases survival rates after heart attack Heart event survivors are at higher risk of another heart event Exercise improves ability to do Activities of Daily Living

5. Importance of Exercise in Recovery from a Heart Event Regular Aerobic exercise can strengthen the heart muscle by safely stressing it, and help it become more efficient so it doesn’t have to work as hard Walking Cycling Swimming Jogging Rollerblading Cross-country skiing Using a stair-stepper or elliptical machine

6. Importance of Exercise in Recovery from a Heart Event Resistance exercise can strengthen other muscles and bones and can help take some of the workload off the heart Weight lifting using : Barbells Dumbbells Weight machines Using other equipment in place of weights: Resistance bands or tubing Soup cans, ice cream buckets Sand filled inner tubes, tires

7. Importance of Exercise in Recovery from a Heart Event Important considerations when starting an exercise program after a heart event: Get clearance from you doctor before starting Enroll in a Cardiac Rehab program if your community has one Physical Therapy may be a option if Cardiac Rehab is not available If neither Cardiac Rehab or Physical Therapy is available, consult with an exercise professional that has experience working with heart patients immediately after their hospital discharge

8. Importance of Exercise in Recovery from a Heart Event Important considerations when starting an exercise program after a heart event: Start slowly by just walking for a few minutes 5-6 days a week Gradually build up your time and intensity and incorporate other activities

9. Final Thoughts The human body was designed with movement in mind. The less it moves the more it breaks down. As a result, getting regular exercise is meant to be a lifetime commitment! Scientific studies show that exercise is medicine that produces positive results! Starting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle including regular exercise and good nutrition can help you stay out of the doctor’s office and out of the hospital! Regardless of your age or whether you’ve had a heart event or not, starting and maintaining a regular exercise program will have many beneficial effects on your health!