• Warm up – This prepares your body for exercise. The gradual build up of activity improves the blood flow to the heart and working muscles. This helps the oxygen get to where it is needed. The stretches at the end of the warm up improve your range of movement.
• Conditioning phase – This is the main part of the exercise session and will help tone and strengthen your muscles and improve your heart’s efficiency. You will be able to progress through the different levels of exercise with the advice of your cardiac rehabilitation team.
• Cool down – This part of the exercise is about gradually slowing down your exercise so that your heart rate and blood pressure return to normal. They will both have risen during the exercise. You repeat the stretches to try and help prevent any stiffness which you might feel later, and to improve your flexibility.

It’s normal to feel these things:

• slightly sweaty
• warm or slightly flushed
• you’re breathing deeper and faster, but can still talk
• your heart beating faster…..you should slow down and make the movements smaller if your breathing is uncomfortable, you feel excessively tired or are sweating a lot

If your Rate of Perceived Exertion (BORG scale) doesn’t go down when you have tried to slow down and reduce the movements for a few minutes, walk on the spot slowly. If you’re still having problems after a couple of minutes, stop and sit down in a supportive chair.

You should also stop, sit down, and not resume the exercise programme that day if:

• you feel dizzy
• you feel chest pain
• your heart beat becomes very irregular.

These are abnormal responses to exercise and may be a result of overdoing it. You should discuss any of these responses with your cardiac rehabilitation team before your next exercise session

If you have chest pain, discomfort or tightness:

• Stop what you are doing. Sit down and rest.
• If you do not have a GTN (glyceryl trinitrate) spray, you should rest, stay calm and call 999.
• If you have a GTN spray or tablets, use it as your doctor or cardiac rehabilitation team have told you to. If the pain, discomfort or tightness doesn’t ease after five minutes, take another dose. If the pain does not ease within five minutes of your second dose, call 999 straight away.
• If you’re not allergic to aspirin, chew one adult tablet (300mg).
• If you don’t have any aspirin to hand (or nearby) or you are not sure if you’re allergic or not, you should rest until the ambulance arrives.

Watch this film from the British Heart Foundation