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Cardiac Rehabilitation: Monitoring Your Body's Response to Exercise

Overview

There are several ways to measure your body's responses to exercise and other lifestyle changes. You may want to keep track of the following measurements during your exercise sessions at cardiac rehab and at home.

Target heart rate

Your target heart rate can guide you to how hard you need to exercise so you can get the most aerobic benefit from your workout.

At the beginning of your rehab, the staff may give you a target heart rate goal to start with. You can use your target heart rate to know how hard you need to exercise to gain the most aerobic benefit from your workout. You will probably exercise at the lower end of your target heart rate. As you progress through the phases of cardiac rehab and you stay more active, you may exercise harder (at the upper end of your target heart rate range).

Rating of perceived exertion

Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) is a valuable and reliable indicator in monitoring your exercise tolerance. It is usually used as part of an organized cardiac rehab program. It is probably most useful to first learn about RPE with a health professional, such as an exercise physiologist or trainer. And then you may be able to use it when you exercise on your own. During exercise, you will want to monitor for and report any angina symptoms, such as chest pain or pressure, to your doctor.

The RPE is a means of determining how hard you are exerting yourself, including physiological (how hard you are breathing, how fast your heart is beating) and muscular strain (how much you feel the exertion in your muscles).

Blood pressure

If you are in a supervised cardiac rehab program, your blood pressure (BP) will also be monitored in addition to HR and RPE. You may want to be aware of your BP during exercise that you do by yourself. You should expect a gradual increase in your systolic BP (the first number), while your diastolic BP (the second number) should show very little change. If this does not happen, consider any medicines you may be taking that could affect your BP and/or call your doctor.

Angina

Angina symptoms are caused by your heart muscle not getting enough blood flow (myocardial ischemia). Your angina may feel like chest pain or discomfort. But you might feel it in other parts of your body. In any case, note if increased effort leads to any symptoms that can be relieved by rest or nitroglycerin.

For some people with heart problems, angina always occurs during activity. And these people must monitor the severity of the pain or stop doing the activity. Other people with heart problems rarely or never have angina. Either way, it is important that you recognize angina and know what is usual for you.

Unless your doctor has specifically told you differently, you should stop exercising when you feel angina symptoms. Talk to your doctor about when you should call about angina symptoms. There are also medicines your doctor can suggest that you may be able to carry with you to treat your angina.

Shortness of breath

If you have difficulty breathing during exercise, your heart may be having trouble keeping up with the intensity of your exercise. This difficulty breathing or shortness of breath is called dyspnea. The dyspnea rating scale will help you identify how difficult your breathing has become.

Your level of dyspnea during exercise will vary depending upon your cardiac history and current health status. Your health professionals' recommendations for an acceptable level of dyspnea will also vary.

Dyspnea rating scale

Rating number

Amount of dyspnea

0

No dyspnea

1

Mild, noticeable

2

Mild, some difficulty

3

Moderate difficulty, but can continue

4

Severe difficulty, cannot continue

By monitoring your level of dyspnea, you can find out the level of exercise intensity that is most appropriate for you. Usually, you want to keep your dyspnea level during exercise lower than a level 3. Report to your doctor if and when you experience any abnormal shortness of breath.

Recording measurements

An exercise diary is an excellent way to keep track of your current aerobic level as well as identify improvement. With each note you should record the time, distance, and mode of activity. Include any additional information such as weather conditions, clothing, specific terrain, time of day, and overall feeling.

A sample exercise diary

Date

Activity

Time

Comments

3/15/2010

Walking

25 minutes

Went approximately 1.5 miles. Weather was a little windy so I wore a sweater. Stayed on the footpath. Overall it felt good with no pain. I did 10 minutes of stretching when I got home.

Credits

Current as of: July 31, 2024

Author: Ignite Healthwise, LLC Staff
Clinical Review Board
All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.

Current as of: July 31, 2024

Author: Ignite Healthwise, LLC Staff

Clinical Review Board
All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.

Dear patient

I am excited to announce that I will be relocating my practice to Houston Methodist DeBakey Cardiology Associates. Starting November 4, 2024, my new address will be:

Houston Methodist DeBakey Cardiology Associates
6550 Fannin St.
Smith Tower, Suite 1901
Houston, TX 77030

Please note that my phone number and fax number will also change to the following:
24-Hour Telephone: 713-441-1100
Fax: 713-790-2643
Clinical Support Telephone (M-F, 8-5): 713-441-3515

I am excited about caring for you in my new office and hope you will make the transition with me. I will also continue to refill your medications as I have in the past. To assist, please provide your pharmacy with my new contact information.

Please consider checking your prescription refills to verify that you have enough medication on hand to last you until your next visit. Please note that your medical records will remain at my former office until you authorize their transfer. If you choose for me to continue providing your medical care, please complete and sign the enclosed “Authorization for Release of Medical Records” form and fax it to 713-790-2643. Once we receive your authorization, we will be happy to process the request for you.

Thank you for entrusting me with your medical care. My new team and I are dedicated to making this transition as seamless as possible. For help scheduling an appointment and transitioning your care, please call my new office number above.

I look forward to continuing your care at my new location.

Sincerely,
Gopi A. Shah, MD

Dear patient

Dr. Albert Raizner, Dr. Michael Raizner, and Dr. Mohamed El-Beheary are excited to announce that our practice, Houston Cardiovascular Associates, will merge with Houston Cardiovascular Associates on November 1, 2024.

Our new offices are similarly located in Houston, near the Texas Medical Center and in Sugar Land. Our in-hospital care will continue at Houston Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center and Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital. Importantly, our new offices expand our services with state-of-the-art equipment and amenities. Our core values will always be, as they began over 40 years ago when Dr. Albert Raizner founded HCA:

Integrity – Compassion – Accountability

Our new address and contact information are:

Your medical records are confidential and remain available at our new locations. We consider it a privilege to serve as your cardiologists and look forward to your continuing with us. However, should you desire to transfer to another physician, you may request a copy of your records by contacting us at our new addresses and phone numbers listed above.

We thank you for your trust and loyalty. As always, we will continue to be here to take care of you. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Dr. Albert Raizner,
Dr. Michael Raizner,
Dr. Mohamed El-Beheary