Exercise, done with appropriate medical advice, is not only safe but is actually very benefitial for heart patients. Lack of exercise is an important and major risk factor for heart disease. Exercise not only helps prevent heart disease, but it also reduces risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, anxiety-depression, and stress. Ideally, you should exercise four to five times a week for 30-50 minutes within your target heart rate.Your health can benefit even by 30-40 minutes of moderate activity per day, such as stair climbing, doing household chores yourself, walking to work instead of going by vehicle, or gardening. It is not just aerobic exercise such as brisk walking, cycling, and swimming that is recommended. Weight lifting [ light weights] or resistance training can also be done to increase your muscle strength, to reduce your body fat, and to increase your independence.

Cardiac fitness is being able to do more physical work or respond to greater energy demands for longer periods of time without being tired. This is done by training or conditioning the heart and muscles to use its available oxygen and ‘fuel' better. Just as some cars are more efficient and get more miles to the gallons of fuel, our bodies can become more efficient and do more work with less effort and fatigue.

The exercise program begins with an EXERCISE TEST. This test will tell you how your heart rate and blood pressure respond during exercise, and also how much physical stamina you have at this stage of your recovery. This test also tells whether during exercise there are any changes in ECG suggesting abnormality of rate, rhythm or blood supply of the heart. This test also tells you how much exercise is safe for you.