World Heart Day 2022: Comedian Raju Srivastava’s demise at the age of 58 has shocked his fans and fraternity. The untimely demise also raises some serious questions. Raju suffered a heart attack and fell on the treadmill last month. This has given rise to the question – how much exercise is too much? On World Cardiovascular Day, we explore the potential pitfalls of overworking at the gym.
Gyming: Do’s and Don’ts for Heart Health?
Manish Hinduja, Consultant-Cardio Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Fortis Hospital, Mulund, says, “If you over-exercise in the gym, it causes a sudden increase in the workload of the heart and in vulnerable patients, it can lead to heart failure. related issues.”
Dr. Hinduja gives us these tips to keep in mind when exercising:
1) Treadmill: Start slowly, walking or running slowly for the first 5 minutes. Take alternating periods of slow and fast running. The inclination of the treadmill should be minimal and running fast is not advisable. For beginners, you should only gradually increase the speed and duration of the exercise.
2) weight training: Start with low weight. Increase the frequency and then increase the weight.
3) Monitor your heart rate while you gym: Your heart rate should be less than 70% of your maximum heart rate (ie 220 – your age). Ideally, your heart rate should not exceed 140/150 per minute when you exercise.
4) Check Symptoms: Some people sweat a lot. Sweating alone is not a problem, but heaviness in the chest, pain in the jaw and pain in the left arm accompanied by sweating are all there. Markers of heart disease. Get medical checkup done as soon as possible.
5) Other exercises: After 45, if you are not into gyming, you can do brisk walking, aerobics, play outdoor sports or dance for 30-40 minutes.
Is TMT (Treadmill Test) Enough?
Often people do a treadmill test, or TMT, to determine whether the heart is fine. But experts say that doing TMT alone is not enough. Dr. Hinduja says, “No test is 100% diagnostic; TMT is 68% sensitive and 77% specific for ischemic heart disease. Broadly speaking, this means that even if the TMT report is normal, having ischemic heart disease occurs.” There is a 30% chance of that.” ,
Routine Heart Checkup: List of Tests to be Performed
For those who have a family history of heart disease, Dr. Hinduja suggests that they should start regular medical check-ups at the age of 35. “People who don’t have a family history of heart problems can start at 50. Every five years, there should be regular heart check-ups. After 60, there should be a regular health check-up every 2-3 years. Routine health check-ups include ECG and 2D echo. The best test to detect blockage in arteries is coronary angiography; and for valve related issues, it is 2D echo.”