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Cardiac Rehabilitation: Lifestyle Changes and Risk
Cardiac Rehabilitation: Lifestyle Changes and RiskFactor ReductionIf you have been diagnosed with heart disease or have had a heart event, it is important for you to take steps now toprevent further damage to your heart, or even another, more serious heart event.A cardiac rehabilitation program can help you reduce your risk factors for heart disease, the best way is to makehealthy lifestyle changes.The health of your heart today is a result of many factors, some you can’t change, like your family history and age,and some you can change.Risk factors you can change include high blood pressure, unhealthy fat levels in your blood; like cholesterol, beingoverweight, being physically inactive, choosing unhealthy foods, smoking and other tobacco use, uncontrolleddiabetes and stress. Your cardiac rehab team will help you identify the risk factors and lifestyle choices that mayhave led to your heart disease and help you find ways to make changes to improve your heart health.The good news, with healthy lifestyle changes you can reduce each one of these risk factors. The bad news, it willtake time. You have spent a lifetime developing these habits.Slow and steady changes work best. Making small, gradual changes to your everyday habits can lead to lifelongchanges that will have a positive effect on your heart health. Take it one step at a time.Meet with your cardiac care team to review your list of risk factors today. Once you identify your risk factors, talk tothem about what types of changes you can make. You may be surprised that certain lifestyle changes can actuallyimprove more than one risk factor.For example, you may decide to become more physically active. This not only directly affects the ‘being inactive’ riskfactor, but physical activity will also have a positive effect on your blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, blood sugar,and stress.Choosing to make healthy food choices will directly affect the ‘choosing unhealthy food choices’ risk factor, but itcan also change your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and weight for the better.Just as all your risk factors worked together over time to lead to heart disease, now all your healthy lifestyle changescan work together to improve your heart health. But remember, it takes time to see positive results from yourefforts. And while this may be frustrating at times, the benefits are worth it.Besides reducing your risk of a serious heart event, healthy lifestyle changes can give you more energy, reduce yourchances of other serious diseases, increase your ability to move, improve your memory, increase yourPage 1 of 2This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.hc_ha_10244_96_en_t00002.pdf© The Wellness NetworkCardiac Rehabilitation: Lifestyle Changes and RiskFactor Reductionindependence, reduce your stress level, and help you look and feel good.Healthy changes are worth the time they take. Your heart event or diagnosis is a wake-up call. You need tomake changes to your daily habits in order to prevent further damage to your heart; and you can.With the help of your cardiac rehab team, identify your risk factors for heart disease and the lifestyle changesyou can make to improve your heart health. Take it one step at a time and you’ll get there.“You know, as a result of what took place, I changed my lifestyle. And to date, I've lost some 21 pounds.And I've done that very slowly and very methodically through exercise and changing my diet. And it'simportant that that took place, because I don't intend to go back to where I was.” – Gordon, PatientPage 2 of 2This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.hc_ha_10244_96_en_t00002.pdf© The Wellness Network
Heart & Vascular Center
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