While exercising is generally good for heart health, there is an exercise habit that cardiologists warn people to be careful with, especially if they haven’t worked out in a while.
If you haven’t worked out in a while, Dr. Megan Kamath, MD, a cardiologist at UCLA Health, says to avoid going straight into high-intensity exercise, which means short bursts of maximum effort exercise that significantly raises heart rate. “Going from zero activity to intense working out can be detrimental to heart health and put strain on the heart muscle,” she says. Dr. Kamath explains that the heart is a muscle and needs to be strengthened and conditioned regularly. “Starting something immediately that is high intensity can overwhelm the heart—and the rest of the body too,” she says.
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A Safer Way to Exercise
Dr. Guseh says that one misconception about heart health and exercise is that people with an existing heart condition or past history of heart attack or stroke shouldn’t exercise. “Over the last 10 years, cardiologists—especially sports cardiologists—have learned that even if someone has heart disease, they can exercise or play competitive sports as long as they are closely monitored,” he says.
Whether you have an existing heart condition, past history of cardiovascular events (such as heart attack and stroke) or just haven’t exercised in a while, all three cardiologists say the best way to approach exercise is to meet with a cardiologist for guidelines specific to you as an individual and to gradually increase how intensely you are exercising. Especially if you have had a heart attack in the past, Dr. Guseh acknowledges that exercising can be anxiety-inducing because it increases heart rate, but that doesn’t mean it should be avoided. A cardiologist can help you decipher between a heart rate increase that is beneficial versus one that is cause for concern.
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Sources
Dr. Megan Kamath, MD, cardiologist at UCLA HealthDr. Sawalla Guseh, MD, cardiologist at Massachusetts General HospitalDr. Mohanakrishnan Sathyamoorthy, MD, FACC, cardiologist and the Chair of Internal Medicine at Burnett School of Medicine at Texas Christian University Read More Details
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