Exercise for heart patients: optimal options.

Exercise is vital if you've had a heart attack, balloon angioplasty, or bypass surgery, or if you are affected by heart disease in some other way, like having chest pain when you exert yourself. Of course, you also need to eat smart and take other healthy steps to reduce your risk of further problems (see "The Complete Heart-Care Package," below). Regular physical activity under your doctor's direction, though, is a key part of managing your disease.