It is crucial to ascertain any pre-existing health conditions before strenuous exercise
EXERCISE is good to maintain a healthy body and mind. But one needs to remember that it is crucial to adjust the exercise according to the heart’s capability.
With the rise in popularity of high-intensity workouts such as boot camp, total resistance suspension training, circuit training, high-intensity interval training or CrossFit here in recent years, there are increased heart health concerns among young adults taking on such a regime.
MAIN PROBLEMS
Prince Court Medical Centre cardiologist Dr Norazlina Mohd Yusof says a person in his 30s or 40s should consider various factors before starting any exercise routine especially those which are strenuous in nature.
Ascertaining any pre-existing health conditions, particularly heart problems, before starting an exercise routine is important.
Coronary heart disease, arrhythmia, valvular heart disease and hypertensive heart disease are the four main heart problems affecting men and women in their 30s and 40s, says Dr Norazlina.
“Coronary heart disease means there is a narrowing of a blood vessel (known as coronary artery) that supplies blood to the organ. If the narrowing is critical, even at rest, the patient will exhibit symptoms such as chest pain. An extreme consequence of this is a heart attack.
“Arrhythmia is a rhythm disorder and one of the most common forms of it is atrial fibrillation, where the heart rhythm becomes chaotic and causes abnormal blood flow within the heart chambers.
“This can lead to small blood clots forming in the cardiac chambers, which can travel out of the heart via the aorta, resulting in strokes,” she says.
Valvular heart disease can lead to heart failure and is commonly caused by chronic rheumatic heart disease that causes the heart valves to thicken and malfunction.
“Apart from the three problems, statistics from the Health Ministry indicate that hypertensive heart disease is relatively more common as one third of Malaysians above the age of 35 are hypertensive.
“If prolonged and uncontrolled, hypertension poses a strain on the heart and eventually hypertensive heart failure,” she adds.
TAKE PRECAUTIONS
Young adults with pre-existing health problems should be extra careful when doing high-intensity training, says Dr Norazlina.
“Diabetics, for instance, must be careful as exercise can push their blood sugar down, giving them hypoglycaemia. Those with hypertension need to ensure their blood pressure is well-controlled as it will shoot up during exercise and could lead to a stroke or heart attack.”
People with pre-existing heart issues need to consult their doctor or cardiologist for the green light as exercise does pose a strain on the heart.
“If you have arrhythmia, for instance, you should observe how you feel during a workout. As a rule of thumb, benign arrhythmia will see the palpitations disappear as you exercise. But if they become more frequent or come with symptoms like chest pain, breathlessness or nauseous, these are signs that the arrhythmia might be more than just benign.”
Some temporary cases could be attributed to fever, cough, flu, dehydration and even medication such as nasal sprays and antihistamines.
“However, there are permanent instances in which it is caused by genetics such as hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, which is the thickening of heart muscles and can be fatal.
“There was a case of a 25-year-old man who died at the finishing line of a marathon in Kuala Lumpur several years ago. When a post-mortem was done, it was revealed he had hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy which he wasn’t aware of.
“The American Heart Association recommends an average person does 30 minutes of exercise a day, five days a week. But if you have heart problems, start low, go slow.
“Start by walking and when your body adapts, increase it to a jog. Water aerobics is great too. It’s also effective in reducing weight as the water acts as resistance training.”
For those without health issues, is it recommended to ensure they are physically fit before starting on boot camps.
“Build up your endurance as your body needs time to adjust.”.
