Exercise Venues

Welcome to the exercise part of your cardiac rehabilitation. Regular physical activity and exercise is important for your heart’s recovery and long-term health.

The current UK guidelines state that adults should aim to achieve at least 150 minutes of a moderate intensity level per week – this can be thought of as 30 minutes on most days of the week and can include activities such as brisk walking, cycling, or cleaning.

What is ‘moderate’ intensity? This means exercising at a level where you feel warmer, breathing is a little faster and heavier, but you can hold a conversation.

You should also aim to build and maintain strength on at least two days a week and minimise sedentary time, breaking up periods of inactivity. For older adults, try to include activities to improve balance on two days a week to help reduce the chance of frailty and falls.

Physical activity: Any bodily movement by skeletal muscles that results in an increase in energy expenditure e.g., washing dishes, gardening.

Exercise: A subset of physical activity that is planned, structured and repetitive with an aim to improve or maintain physical fitness e.g., brisk walking, cycling, exercise class.

Health related benefits:

Improvement in heart function
Improved cholesterol levels
Lower blood pressure
Improved blood sugar control
Increased ability to perform activities of daily living
Reduction in weight
Improved bone health and efficiency of muscles
Improved sleep quality and energy levels
Helps your joints and flexibility
Fewer hospital admissions
Psychological benefits – confidence, mood, and wellbeing

Remember – any activity is better than none but aim to be physically active every day if you can!

Exercise programme

As part of our service, we offer exercise programmes at different venues across the county: Boston, Bourne, Burgh Le Marsh, Lincoln, and Louth. We also offer a virtual class (Virtual Heart Health) which takes place over Microsoft Teams, or we can support you with home-based exercise by opting for one of our home programmes.

Following an initial consultation with one of our Cardiac Rehab Nurses, you will be contacted for a call with a member of the exercise team to discuss options or invited to attend for an exercise assessment prior to commencing a eight-week programme. It is advised that you continue with walking regularly, as able, until speaking to a member of the team before returning to other activities e.g., swimming, golf, or gym. Once you have completed the assessment, you will be advised on which class to attend or the most suitable recovery programme.

The programme will take place once a week for a eight-week period. Please note, if you miss any sessions these might not be added on. It is important that you are doing exercise outside of these supervised sessions to build up towards the 150-minute per week guideline. Once you have completed the programme with us, we will discuss long term management of exercise.

Venues

Monday - Burgh le Marsh: Burgh Le Marsh Village Hall
Address: Jacksons Lane, Burgh Le Marsh, Skegness, PE24 5LA
Monday - VHH (Virtual Heart Health)
Accessed virtually via invitation to Microsoft Teams
Tuesday - Bourne: Elsea Park Community Trust
Address: 1 Sandown Drive, Bourne, PE10 0US
Exercise assessment address: Bourne Health Clinic, St. Gilbert’s Road, Bourne, PE10 9XA
Wednesday - Boston: Zion Methodist Church, Brothertoft Rd, Boston PE21 8HD
Address: Great Fen Road, Wyberton, Boston PE21 7PB
Wednesday - Lincoln: One NK Leisure Centre
Address: Moor Lane, North Hykeham, Lincoln, LN6 9AX
Thursday - Louth: Meridian Leisure Centre
Address: Wood Lane, Louth, LN11 8SA
Home based programme:
Exercise support provided over the phone with resources to follow at home: exercise plan, strengthening plan, chair-based exercise plan.

GTN (glyceryl trinitrate) spray/tablets (if prescribed) – it is important to always keep this with you.
Blood glucose monitor (if diabetic and check sugars) as well as sugary snack or glucose tablets
Inhalers (if you have asthma or COPD)
Bottle of water
Small towel if needed
Wear loose, comfortable clothing and suitable footwear

You will be contacted and receive an appointment to attend for a face-to-face assessment prior to the programme. The type of assessment will be determined by the Cardiac Rehab team.

Please arrive at the venue on time to allow the class to start promptly. You must inform a member of staff if you have forgotten to take your medication, there have been any changes in medication, if you have been feeling unwell, or are taking antibiotics. Do not stop taking any medications without discussing it with your GP or Cardiac Rehab team.

If you are diabetic and monitor your blood sugars, it is essential that you bring your equipment with you.

What will happen:

Check blood pressure and heart rate
15 minute warm up
Main session consisting of both cardiovascular and resistance exercise
10 to 15 minute cool down
Bitesize education session (Exercise, Medication, Healthy Eating, Risk Factors, Psychological Wellbeing, CPR)
Check to ensure well recovered

Warm up

A warm up is a gradual build-up of activity which improves blood flow to the heart and working muscles in preparation for the main exercise. A gradual increase in activity will allow your heart rate to increase at a steady rate, which will help to reduce the risk of angina or any disturbances in your heart rhythm.

The warm up will consist of pulse raising movements to mobilise the joints and increase heart rate (e.g., marching on the spot) interspersed with stretching the main muscle groups. This should be completed at a low level and feel ‘light’ on the effort score, building up towards ‘moderate’ intensity. It is important to keep your feet moving.

Main exercise

This will take place following the 15-minute warm up and consists of both cardiovascular and resistance exercise. Your cardiac rehab team will advise on which level to start on. During cardiovascular exercise, you should be aiming to work at a ‘moderate’ intensity, where your breathing and heart rate will increase but you can still talk comfortably. You will then complete resistance exercises, referred to as an ‘active recovery’ period, with the use of light weights or resistance bands. During this period, you should complete slow, controlled movements whilst keeping your feet moving. This should feel lighter on your breathing and allow your heart rate to recover.

Cool down

This involves gradually slowing down your exercise so that your heart rate and blood pressure can return to normal. Cooling down for 10 minutes reduces the risk of a post-exercise drop in blood pressure and any irregular heart rhythms, which may be caused by a sudden stop in exercise and can make you feel dizzy or lightheaded. You will then be taken through some stretches to help with recovery and any muscle soreness experienced during the session.

Target heart rate
Rate of perceived exertion (RPE)
Talk test

Target heart rate

We will calculate an individual training heart rate zone based on your age, pre-exercise heart rate, medication, and heart condition.

RPE

Also known as ‘effort score’. This is a 0 to 10 scale, where 0 is ‘no exertion at all’ and 10 is ‘maximal exertion’. During exercise, we want you to rate your perceived exertion based on the strain and fatigue in the muscles and your feeling of breathlessness or any chest discomfort. This is a subjective measure, so please be honest. We would like you to work at a ‘moderate’ to ‘somewhat hard’ intensity, i.e., level 3 – 4. If the exercise feels ‘hard’ to ‘very hard’ i.e., beyond 5, then you are working too hard and need to slow down.

	EFFORT SCORE
0	No exertion whatsoever
0.5	Extremely light (just noticeable)
1	Very light
2	Light
3	Moderate (feels good, OK to go on)
4	Somewhat hard (Feel that body is working harder but is OK to go on)
5
6	Strong (The work is hard and tiring)
7
8
9	Very strong (Feels quite strenuous and you are tired)
10	Extremely strong (Maximal)
	Absolute maximum (Highest possible)

Talk test

If you can hold a conversation and are slightly out of puff, then this is a good indication that you are working at the right level. However, if you are gasping for breath and unable to maintain this conversation, then you are working too hard and need to slow down.

STOP exercising if you experience any chest discomfort, excessive sweating, shortness of breath, pain in the joints, palpitations, feel dizzy or lightheaded, and inform a member of staff.

GTN protocol if you experience angina:

Pain
↓
Stop activity / sit down and rest
↓
1-2 sprays of GTN under tongue
↓
Wait 5 minutes
↓
If pain not relieved, 1-2 further sprays under tongue
↓
Wait 5 minutes
↓
If pain not relieved, call 999

Exercise Venues

Exercise programme

Venues

What will happen:

Warm up

Main exercise

Cool down

Target heart rate

RPE

Talk test

Quick links

Contact us

Connect with us

Exercise Venues

Exercise programme

Venues

What to bring with you

Exercise assessment

What will happen on the day?

What will happen:

Structure of session

Warm up

Main exercise

Cool down

Monitoring exercise intensity

Target heart rate

RPE

Talk test

Safety advice

Accessibility tools