Heart Works

Heart Works HeartWorks provides personalized cardiac rehabilitation & fitness in Wellington, NZ. We’re here to support your health journey.

Our expert team offers supervised exercise tailored to your cardiac needs, helping you recover with confidence.

This is what we hope cardiac rehabilitation leads to ❤️For many people, joining Heartworks isn’t just about completing a...
01/10/2026

This is what we hope cardiac rehabilitation leads to ❤️

For many people, joining Heartworks isn’t just about completing a rehabilitation programme. It can also be about rebuilding a relationship with exercise and developing the confidence to continue independently.

We recently received this lovely feedback.

Helping someone become stronger or fitter is important, but so is helping them leave rehabilitation with the knowledge, confidence and motivation to keep moving long after their time with us.

Thank you for allowing us to be part of that journey. ❤️

Why can your heart rate behave differently on a beta blocker?Because beta blockers can slow the heart-rate response to e...
29/09/2026

Why can your heart rate behave differently on a beta blocker?

Because beta blockers can slow the heart-rate response to exercise.
That means the number on your monitor may not rise the way it used to — and for some people, it can feel harder to “reach” a usual target heart rate.

Importantly, that does not mean exercise is not working.

If you take a beta blocker, heart rate is often still useful, but it may need to be interpreted alongside other things like how hard the exercise feels, your workload, symptoms, breathing and recovery.

At Heartworks, this is one reason exercise prescription needs to be individualised. The goal is not simply to chase a number, but to make sure exercise is safe, appropriate and effective for the person in front of us.

If you’re on a beta blocker and have ever wondered why your heart rate looks different during exercise, you’re not imagining it — and you’re not necessarily doing anything wrong.

Save this post if this is something you’d like to come back to.

Today is World Heart Day ❤️This year’s theme, “Don’t Miss a Beat,” is a reminder that cardiovascular disease can affect ...
29/09/2026

Today is World Heart Day ❤️

This year’s theme, “Don’t Miss a Beat,” is a reminder that cardiovascular disease can affect people in many different ways — and that recognising the signs, protecting our heart health and improving access to appropriate care all matter.

See the signs. Protect your heart. Demand action.

For some people, protecting heart health is about prevention: staying active, managing blood pressure and cholesterol, eating well, not smoking, and seeking help when something doesn’t feel right.

For others, it is about what comes next after a cardiac event or diagnosis. Recovery can involve understanding symptoms and medications, managing cardiovascular risk factors, rebuilding physical capacity, returning to exercise and learning to trust your body again.

That is where cardiac rehabilitation plays such an important role.

At Heartworks, we support people through that next stage of the journey with clinically led rehabilitation, individualised exercise, education and ongoing support. Our goal is to help people better understand their condition, feel more confident exercising, and build the skills they need to manage their heart health over the longer term.

World Heart Day is also a reminder that heart health is not just an individual responsibility. Awareness, access to appropriate healthcare, rehabilitation and long-term support all play a part in helping people live well with cardiovascular disease.

Whether the focus is prevention, recognising the signs, or supporting someone after a diagnosis, every part of the journey matters.

Don’t miss a beat. ❤️

If your cardiac rehab programme should change as you do, how do we know when it’s time to change it?We measure progress....
24/09/2026

If your cardiac rehab programme should change as you do, how do we know when it’s time to change it?

We measure progress.

Assessment gives us a starting point. Reassessment helps us understand how your body is adapting, how you are responding to exercise, and whether your current exercise prescription still matches your capacity.

Depending on the individual, we may look at things such as exercise capacity, heart-rate and blood-pressure responses, strength, physical function, symptoms, recovery and personal goals.

Importantly, progress doesn’t always mean a bigger number on a test. It might mean completing the same workload more comfortably, recovering better, becoming stronger, finding everyday activities easier, or simply feeling more confident in what your body can do.

At Heartworks, measuring progress is not about judgement or pressure. It gives us objective information that we can combine with how you are feeling and what matters to you, helping guide the next stage of your rehabilitation.

Assess → Prescribe → Monitor → Reassess → Progress.

Because your programme should change as you do. ❤️
Reference: 2026 ESC Guidelines on Cardiac Rehabilitation. European Heart Journal, 2026.

Yesterday was World Clinical Exercise Physiology Day ❤️A great opportunity to recognise the role Clinical Exercise Physi...
23/09/2026

Yesterday was World Clinical Exercise Physiology Day ❤️

A great opportunity to recognise the role Clinical Exercise Physiologists play in healthcare — and why they are such an important part of what we do at Heartworks.

Our CEPs combine exercise science with clinical knowledge to support people recovering from cardiac events and living with cardiovascular disease. That includes assessing physical capacity, prescribing and progressing exercise, monitoring cardiovascular responses, and helping people better understand how their body responds to activity.

But the role goes beyond exercise alone. Education, confidence and long-term independence are all a big part of cardiac rehabilitation too.

At Heartworks, Clinical Exercise Physiology sits at the heart of our approach: clinically led, individualised rehabilitation designed to help people recover with confidence.

A belated happy World Clinical Exercise Physiology Day to CEPs everywhere ❤️

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our latest Heartworks Education Evening ❤️It was fantastic to bring our communit...
17/09/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our latest Heartworks Education Evening ❤️

It was fantastic to bring our community together for an evening focused on heart rhythms, cardiac devices, hydration and exercise recovery, with plenty of questions and discussion throughout the night.

We were very fortunate to hear from three different perspectives:
Katrin Tijsen & Lin Coleman, Cardiac Rhythm Management Nurses, took us through pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) — including some of the history behind these devices, what they do, how they work, and the practical considerations of living with them day to day.

Dr Matthew Webber, Cardiologist & Electrophysiologist, focused on atrial fibrillation, explaining what is happening within the heart, why AF is important, the different treatment approaches, and answering some of the common questions people have about living with the condition.

Riley Dixon, Exercise Physiologist at Heartworks, shared findings from his Master’s research into blood pressure, hydration and post-exercise hypotension, exploring how hydration can influence blood pressure responses and recovery following exercise.

Although the topics were quite different, there was a common theme throughout the evening: understanding what is happening in your body can help reduce uncertainty and build confidence. Whether that means understanding a heart rhythm, becoming more familiar with a cardiac device, or knowing why blood pressure may drop after exercise, good information can make recovery feel more manageable.

A sincere thank you to Katrin, Lin, Matt and Riley for giving their time and sharing their knowledge with our community, and to everyone who attended — particularly given the weather!

We’ve already received some lovely feedback:
“The presentations are really appreciated. We are privileged being able to participate in the training sessions and education sessions — thank you team. It was so worthwhile attending in spite of the weather.”

These evenings are an important part of what we do at Heartworks. They provide a space to keep learning, ask questions, and better understand the many different aspects of living well with a cardiovascular condition.

Thank you again to everyone who made it such an enjoyable and engaged evening. ❤️

Your cardiac rehab programme should change as you do. ❤️The exercise that is appropriate when you first return after a c...
17/09/2026

Your cardiac rehab programme should change as you do. ❤️

The exercise that is appropriate when you first return after a cardiac event or diagnosis may not be the same exercise you need several weeks later.

As fitness, strength and exercise tolerance improve, the exercise prescription can gradually progress too. That might involve changes to duration, intensity, resistance, volume or the type of exercise being performed.

Importantly, progression doesn’t simply mean making every session harder. How and when exercise progresses should reflect the individual’s clinical presentation, symptoms, recovery, cardiovascular responses, current capacity and goals.

At Heartworks, exercise prescription is an ongoing process:
Assess → Prescribe → Monitor → Progress

Because effective cardiac rehabilitation isn’t about doing more for the sake of it. It’s about applying the right exercise dose, at the right time, for the right person.

Reference: 2026 ESC Guidelines on Cardiac Rehabilitation. European Heart Journal, 2026.

16/09/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our latest Heartworks Education Evening ❤️

This evening brought together three different perspectives on heart rhythms, cardiac devices, hydration and exercise recovery, with plenty of practical discussion around understanding what’s happening in the body and building confidence after a cardiac event or diagnosis.

A huge thank you to Katrin Tijsen & Lin Coleman for helping demystify cardiac devices; Dr Matthew Webber for sharing his expertise on arrhythmias and palpitations; and Riley Dixon for presenting his research on hydration and post-exercise hypotension.

It was fantastic to see such a strong turnout and so many thoughtful questions throughout the evening. Thank you to everyone who came along and contributed to another great night of learning and discussion at Heartworks.

Recover with confidence.

When people hear cardiac rehabilitation, they often think of supervised exercise.Exercise is an important part of it — b...
15/09/2026

When people hear cardiac rehabilitation, they often think of supervised exercise.
Exercise is an important part of it — but it isn't the whole story.

The newly published 2026 European Society of Cardiology Guidelines on Cardiac Rehabilitation describe cardiac rehabilitation as a comprehensive, patient-centred approach designed to improve physical, mental and social functioning following a cardiac event or diagnosis.

That can include individually prescribed exercise, education, cardiovascular risk-factor management, support with lifestyle change and strategies to help people become more confident managing their own health.

And importantly, the goal isn't simply to improve a number on an exercise test.

Modern cardiac rehabilitation places significant emphasis on function, quality of life and helping people return to meaningful everyday activities.

At Heartworks, this is a big part of what we mean when we say Recover With Confidence.
Over the next few weeks, we'll take a closer look at some of the science behind cardiac rehabilitation — including exercise intensity, heart rate, blood pressure, strength and how we measure progress.

Save this post to follow the series. ❤️

Reference: Bäck M, Wilhelm M, et al. 2026 ESC Guidelines on cardiac rehabilitation. European Heart Journal. Published 28 August 2026.

Building habits that actually last.In cardiac rehabilitation, starting to exercise again can be a big step. But the long...
06/09/2026

Building habits that actually last.

In cardiac rehabilitation, starting to exercise again can be a big step. But the longer-term challenge is making those changes part of everyday life.

Lasting habits aren't necessarily built through motivation or ambitious goals. They're more likely to stick when they are realistic, purposeful and fit around the person doing them.

That might mean finding an exercise routine that works with your energy, schedule and confidence. It might mean starting with smaller, achievable goals and gradually building from there. And it means recognising progress along the way.

The goal of cardiac rehabilitation isn't simply to complete a programme. It's to develop the knowledge, confidence and physical capacity to keep being active afterwards.

At Heartworks, we see rehabilitation as the beginning of a longer-term relationship with exercise — helping people find ways to stay active that are realistic for their life.

Because the best exercise habit isn't necessarily the most ambitious one.

It's the one you can keep doing.

Address

202 Thorndon Quay
Wellington
6011

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 7pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 7pm
Thursday 9:30am - 7pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Heart Works posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Heart Works:

Shortcuts

Share