While exercise is recommended for people of all ages, there have been multiple cases in which seemingly healthy (and even young) people engaging in physical activities, died of health complications during their workouts. The truth is, most of these people were completely unaware that they had some risk factors that could (as they did) potentially kill them under certain circumstances.
If you don’t pay attention to your health, your next seemingly harmless cardio session might end up with you suffering from a stroke, or other life-threatening issues. This is why, no matter your age and current physical state, if you have any of the following risk factors, it’s so important to consult with a doctor before starting to exercise, so you can plan your workouts within a safe range of intensity depending on your needs.
These are some of the main risk factors you should consider before beginning to exercise.
Diseases:
If you have diabetes (physical activity can modify your glycemic levels), suffer from asthma, have had a stroke in the past, or have a different kind of disease, you should ask your doctor whether you’re able to engage in exercise.
Not only that, but the intensity of the exercise should also be discussed beforehand: Could you undertake vigorous training, or should it be moderate? Would HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) be too much for your heart to handle?
Signs of poor health:
Thoracic pain (chest pain), shortness of breath, dizziness, swollen ankles, feet and legs, palpitations, calf pain, heart murmurs, and fatigue or extreme tiredness for unknown reasons. All of these symptoms tell you that something should be taken care of.
You could probably carry on normally with your daily activities if you only have one of these, but it’s always best to make sure you know your limitations before something worse catches you by surprise during your exercise.
Heart disease risk factors:
- Age: People are at a higher risk of heart disease the older they are, with men being at a higher risk of heart attack than women, but only until women reach menopause; then the risk is at pretty much the same level for all genders.
- Family with a history of heart disease: Genetics can play an unfortunate role in passing down risk factors from one generation to the next. Anyone with family members that are known to have suffered from heart disease may have a higher risk as well.
- Smoking: It’s a risk for both active and passive smokers, and those who have stopped smoking within the past two years.
- Arterial hypertension: High blood pressure is considered to be 140/90mmHg or higher.
- High Cholesterol: Total cholesterol levels should stay under 200 mg/dl for healthy adults.
- Diabetes.
- Sedentarism: It applies to anyone who doesn’t exercise regularly or doesn’t engage in regular physical activity, such as those with a sedentary job (i.e. a 9 to 5 desk job).
- Obesity: Excessive body fat puts you at a higher risk for chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
Anyone with two or more of these mentioned factors should seek a doctor’s approval before starting to exercise, since they’re at a higher risk of having a heart disease, even without having had previous complications thus far.
Age and exercise intensity:
High intensity exercise can make a significant change in one’s cardiorespiratory rate (the rate at which the heart and lungs deliver oxygen to muscles), and shouldn’t be sustained for more than 15 to 20 minutes. Moderate exercise, however, has less of an impact on cardiorespiratory rate, and can be sustained for longer.
It all depends on whether you have any risk factors for heart disease, and the intensity of your workouts. When it comes to men under 40 and women under 50, they’re most likely to have no health complications as long as they stick to moderate exercise. For highly intense or rigorous exercise, however, a preventive visit to the doctor before you start exercising is recommended.
Simple tip that could save your (or someone else’s) life
Make sure the gym or fitness center you attend has an automated external defibrillator (AED), and the employees know how to use it in case of emergency. They should also have undergone CPR training.
Having an AED is not regulatory so a lot of small gyms may not have it, but if you have multiple risk factors you may want to consider owning one yourself. They’re a bit costly and may require a doctor’s prescription to buy, but if you do get one, make sure someone in your family learns how to use it if you exercise at home.
