Moving again

I can't tell you how hard to exercise, and no app should. Your targets are yours, and they come from your rehab team. What I can do is explain what the process looks like from the inside, and point you to people who know more than I do.

What rehab is actually like

• Your exercise prescription lists your resting and maximum heart rate, a target heart-rate zone, and a target effort on the 6–20 perceived exertion scale. Your rehab team fills it in. Ask them to walk you through every number.
• Progression is gradual. On the treadmill, speed goes up first, then the incline. With weights, you go from one set of 10, to two sets, and only then to more weight.
• A chest-strap heart-rate monitor can alert you at the top of the zone your team prescribed.
• Watch for one thing: the same workload should feel easier as you get fitter. If it starts feeling harder, tell your rehab team.

Good reading from Cardiac College

Cardiac College is run by the University Health Network in Toronto. These pages open on their site.

• Aerobic exercise
• Resistance training
• Progressing your exercise
• Exercise and cold weather: essential reading up here in winter
• Exercise and hot weather

If you have chest pain, unusual shortness of breath or dizziness while exercising, stop and get help. If you think it's an emergency, call 911.