A heart attack, or myocardial infarction, occurs when the flow of oxygen to the heart stops suddenly. This is usually due to the build-up of fat and cholesterol in the arteries. Each year in the United States, about 735,000 people experience a heart attack. For 30% of them, it isn’t the first time. Once you have one heart attack, the risk for having another heart attack rises; this risk is especially high for 3 to 5 years after the first heart attack. Every heart attack is different, though, and you aren’t just a number. There’s a lot you and your doctor can do to help prevent a second heart attack.

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Doctors often recommend cardiac rehabilitation after a heart attack. If it isn’t offered to you, ask if it’s available. The foundation of cardiac rehabilitation is a personalized exercise prescription developed by a physiologist and overseen by a cardiologist, with medical monitoring that decreases as your heart health improves. There are usually four phases:

Phase 1: Walking as soon as possible after heart attack, often within 24 hours

Phase 2: Regular, monitored exercise sessions that use treadmills or exercise bikes and build up duration and intensity

Phase 3: Exercise sessions with less monitoring

Phase 4: Independent exercise without supervision.