By making the right kind of lifestyle decisions and changes such as the ones listed below, you can improve your heart health.

• Exercise regularly
• Quit smoking
• Lose weight
• Eat a healthy, balanced diet
• Reduce stress

These changes can make a difference in your heart health. For example, exercise can strengthen your heart, help you lose weight, and lower your cholesterol and blood pressure. Losing even a small amount of weight can help lower your blood pressure and reduce the work your heart has to do. If you're one of the many people who want to make these changes, but don't know how, THE HEART HOSPITAL Baylor Plano is here to help. We offer cardiac rehabilitation and wellness programs that can help you keep your heart fit.

Cardiac Rehabilitation Program

The cardiac rehabilitation program at THE HEART HOSPITAL Baylor Plano is designed to help you recover from your surgery, procedure, or cardiovascular condition. Your customized program will have short-term and long-term goals. The short-term goal is to help you recover so that you can resume normal activities. The long-term goal is to help you learn heart-healthy habits and avoid problems in the future. Cardiac rehabilitation programs may include supervised exercise and education about heart-healthy lifestyle choices such as diet and nutrition, aerobic exercise to strengthen the heart, weight loss, and quitting smoking. The program also provides support for family members.

Guests must qualify for the cardiac rehabilitation program. This includes receiving a recommendation from your physician. The program has two phases and lasts about 12 weeks. The first phase of rehabilitation typically lasts from six to eight weeks, followed by a second phase of up to four weeks. Guests attend three sessions each week.

Throughout your rehabilitation, you will be guided by a team of professionals, including physicians, nurses, exercise physiologists, and dietitians. This team will work closely together to ensure all of your needs are met and that all of your questions are answered.

We provide in-depth education to help you understand your heart condition and offer guidance to prevent future problems. The HEART HOSPITAL Baylor Plano's cardiac rehabilitation program can help you:

• understand your condition, its causes, your symptoms, medications, and when to seek medical help.
• learn heart-healthy habits to lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, lose weight, and quit smoking.
• strengthen your heart and lungs through supervised exercise.
• learn to reduce stress.

Visit our Medical Specialties page for more information about the cardiac rehabilitation program at THE HEART HOSPITAL Baylor Plano website or call (469) 814-3550.

Leap for Life^®

We believe that the foundation of safe, quality, compassionate care is teaching and supporting our guests through recovery and beyond. That's why Baylor Health Care System created Leap for Life^®. Free to people with a history of cardiovascular disease, Leap for Life^® is a wellness and disease prevention program that teaches behavior change techniques to achieve better health. Monthly workshops are held at the Baylor Plano Health Care Campus, and participants are encouraged to bring a family member or friend. A registered dietitian, social worker, exercise physiologist, and nurse run this educational component of cardiac rehabilitation. Guests have the opportunity to discuss successes and challenges and support one another.

You may also purchase Leap for Life: A Guide to Heart Disease Prevention and Maintenance in addition to, or instead of, attending a workshop. This book will help you learn more about your heart and vascular system and navigate the healing process.

Registration includes:

• the book Leap for Life: A Guide to Heart Disease Prevention and Maintenance.
• information about your heart and how it works.
• a review of common medications and indications.
• tools for eating right and maintaining proper nutrition.
• guidelines for developing a regular exercise program.
• ideas for managing stress and relaxation techniques.

To register for a Leap for Life workshop, please call 1.800.4BAYLOR. Refreshments will be served.