Cardiac rehabilitation: Building a better life after heart disease - Mayo Clinic

Cardiac rehabilitation is an exercise and education program designed to improve your quality of life after you've had a heart attack or another heart problem.

Cardiac rehabilitation is a medically supervised program to help you recover after a heart attack, from other forms of heart disease or after surgery to treat heart disease. Cardiac rehabilitation is often divided into phases that involve various levels of monitored exercise, nutritional counseling, emotional support, and support and education about lifestyle changes to reduce your risks of heart problems.

Cardiac rehabilitation often begins while you're still in the hospital and continues through monitored programs in an outpatient setting until home-based maintenance programs can be safely followed.