Heart disease strikes its victim sometimes with no warning. The psychological effects of having a stroke, heart attack or some other form of cardiovascular disease can spur even the fast-food addict and couch potato into exploring ways to reverse heart disease. If you were lucky enough to survive this wake-up call, then you are probably ready to get proactive about your heart and overall general health.

Cardiac Rehabilitation

Cardiac rehabilitation is often something you begin while under hospital care. A team of doctors, psychologists and physical therapists will structure a plan of action to help you recover from your heart disease and to avoid the same or additional problems in the future. You can educate yourself in these areas, but a doctor's supervision is best. This is not just something you should practice for a short while; this should be a total lifestyle change. One of the main components of the rehabilitation process is an exercise program. No matter how old you are, you can still benefit from daily exercise. Your regimen will include how to avoid injuries and overdoing the exercises. You will start out with a slow walking program especially if you have never exercised in the past. The team will instruct you in all phases of an exercise program, such as warming up, cooling down and maintaining or increasing your fitness level. The activities may include weight bearing exercises and aerobic conditioning. A dietitian will help educate you on what foods you need to eat daily, and instruct you on the foods to avoid. The dietitian will assist you in learning why you need to reduce fats, sodium and cholesterol in your daily diet. Not only will this new lifestyle plan help you to recover, it will help to provide you with more energy. Once you have implemented the good food habits you will probably feel better than ever before in your life. A counselor will help you in coping with feelings of depression and medications may be prescribed according to the Mayo Clinic website. The counselor will also instruct you in ways to handle anger and stress if this has been a problem for you in the past. The counselor may recommend occupational or vocational therapies if you experienced a stroke and cannot quickly resume your old job. Remaining under a doctor's care and getting routine checkups are mandatory for someone who has heart disease. Regular blood work, EKGs (electrocardiogram) and physical examinations are necessary to track your progress and to prevent any additional cardiovascular problems that may occur.

Lifestyle Changes

Work on reducing your cholesterol level to less than 160 and getting off any excess weight. For those with heart disease, this is best accomplished by following a low fat, high-fiber diet. Aim for your diet to be cholesterol free and strive to eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grain foods. Stop overindulging in alcohol and smoking if this has been a problem for you in the past. Avoid high sodium processed foods and cut this sodium intake down to around 5,000 milligrams or 5 grams each day according to the Coronary Health Improvement Project.. Follow an exercise routine; strive for at least four 30 minute workouts each week.

Source:

Mayo Clinic: Cardiac Rehabilitation

chiphealth.com: Keys to Reversing Coronary Heart Disease

Resource:

Preventing Heart Disease: Signs of Heart Disease