An exercise program that burns a lot of calories reduced cardiac risk factors better than standard cardiac rehabilitation in overweight coronary patients, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

“The higher-caloric exercise, consisting of almost daily long-distance walking, resulted in double the weight loss and a greater fat mass loss than standard cardiac rehabilitation exercise,” said Philip A. Ades, M.D., lead author of the study and professor of medicine and director of cardiac rehabilitation and prevention at the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington. “And probably most importantly, these patients improved their insulin sensitivity to a greater degree.”

The high-calorie expenditure regime was not more intensive than rehabilitation, but longer duration at lower intensity on more days.
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What is considered long distance walking? I would think any type of cardio would be good for heart patients although I'm sure anything like running that raises the heart rate too high could potentially be dangerous. I usually walk, swim or cycle every day as a form of cardio.