Exercise MODERATELY

 

While exercise has been heavily promoted for better health condition, the impact of vigorous and prolonged activity on the body was not clear until recent times where the advent of imaging technology is able to give clearer indication.

Abundant data pointed to the benefits derived with an improved blood circulatory system, including lower cholesterol, blood pressure and a stronger heart. Moderate exercise regimes followed consistently by individuals mostly exceed those who rarely participate in physical activity in terms of health aspect and life expectancy. However, engaging in intense physical exercise may not yield similar positive results. You may even feel tired easily and sick often. Why?

Exercise definitely helps to strengthen the heart muscle to allow it to pump blood round the body effectively. An athlete has lower resting heart rate as less effort is required to pump blood. On the contrary, a cardiac patient may get a seizure even when resting or in a sleep.

Heart problem….

Recent medical research discovered that prolonged strenuous exercise can run the risk of developing abnormal heart rhythms. A Harvard study carried out a 90 days’ vigorous training program on young athletics showed that there are significant changes in cardiac structure and function with the type of change varies with the exercise performed.

Both strength and endurance athletics were seen to have bigger hearts. The former had only the left and right ventricle expanded whilst the latter showed thickening of muscle in the left ventricle and appeared stiffer. Is yet conclusive that such changes result in damage and scarring of the heart, thereby rendering it more susceptible to abnormal heart rhythms.

This findings may dispel the myth that abnormal rhythms are due to underlying heart diseases, with intense exercise triggering the onset of cardiac failure.

Further study conducted using newer techniques in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the heart to identify early signs of fibrosis within the heart muscle showed half of the competitive endurance veteran athletes over 50 develop this symptom. In comparison, none of the younger athletics and older non-athletics examined had fibrosis within their hearts.

Severe fibrosis can lead to stiffening or thickening of portions in the heart, which can contribute to irregular heart function and eventually heart failure. A tear can also appear in the inner lining of the narrowed segment of the artery and a blood clot is rapidly formed to seal the hole. All these can cause a heart attack to occur when the athletic is involved in an intensive exercise like a marathon run.

Some ’hardcore’ veterans are not aware of the deteriorating condition and do not take any or sufficient precautionary measure. Hence, when the heart collapses suddenly, is difficult to apply prompt resuscitation successfully. The body also gives way after being abused for prolonged period – constantly dehydrated, filled with lactic acid and devoid of oxygen.

Psychological disorders…..

Addiction to exercising may stem from the dependency of a sense of ‘happiness’ derived from the adrenaline and endorphins produced by the body during exercise, or from social pressure to become slim. The person involved attempts to shed as many calories as possible to achieve the distorted image of the ‘dream figure’. For instance, thin ladies perceived they are too big and muscular men find themselves puny or not ‘manly’ enough. This can tax the body heavily and affect the immune system functioning, thus increasing the susceptibility to infections.

Estrogen stops working….

Quite often we hear of young ballerinas, gymnasts and female acrobats who have gone for long intensive training failing to have their monthly menstrual flow. This condition has detrimental effects on child-bearing in their later part of lives as a certain amount of body fat is required to produce the female hormone known as estrogen. Without estrogen, fat deposition takes place around the waist instead of the hips, contributing to the increased risk of heart disease. Low estrogen also exposes a woman to an increased risk of osteoporosis.

Other physical problems……

Over-exercise can cause muscle strain and protein wasting, leading to connective tissue damage. If water is not replenished adequately, excessive perspiration can result in a depletion of potassium, serious enough to cause severe cramps and heart failure.

A great amount of free radicals is produced during the exercise that can destroy our skin cells and cause premature aging and susceptible to diseases. Always complement your workout with antioxidants to produce the cells from damage.

Our comments

+ Understanding the potential risks of sustained intensive exercise can cause permanent scarring of the heart muscle with irreversible damage to the hearts, serious athletics should consider seriously before going for the next vigorous exercise, before is too late.

+ In life, all things should be taken in moderation. Moderate exercise is good enough to offer potential benefits. A study done showed that older adults who engage in regulate moderate exercise may reduce the incident risk of silent stroke by as much as 40%. It also found that those in the lowest intensity exercise group fare no better than those who never exercised.

+ Do not go an extra mile and not getting the due rewards and end up in a miserable state. Sure there are more other constructive activities to keep one occupied. Truly enjoy the process and do not overburden the body unnecessarily.

Always listen to what the body tells you. Keep your training sessions in moderation. Give your body adequate rest, good nutrition, proper supplementation and you will reap all the benefits in achieving a healthy lifestyle!

Source: Business Times weekend dated 11/6/2011, interviewed with Dr Michael Lim, the medical director of Singapore Medical Specialists centre.