overexercising - death

basically i'm worried my heart's gonna give up on me - i'm currently cycling 40 hours a week (sometimes more) and it'a really effecting me. it makes me tired, and generally ill, but i got some sudden heart pains the other day, and i'm wondering whether there's a link between overexercing and heart attacks. 50 hours a week in total, is alot.....

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On your bike....

How is that even possible in this weather? :confused:

Reply 3

xnatalie01x

How can you do 50 hours?! Calm down.

Reply 4

Lol1222112

Original post by Aack

On your bike....

yes, on my bike- i cycle for a living. does anyone without a sharp quip have some help?

Reply 5

Callipygian

Are you one of those people who cycles with a carriage on the back that has people in?

Reply 6

Lol1222112

It's a job - and this is a thread, and i need advice.

Basically courrier companies only employ full time, and i work (without a lunch break) from 8.30 till 6.30.

Then i try and exercise on the weekend - although i've stopped most that.

Anyone any help?

Reply 7

Law123mus

Original post by Lol1222112

I doubt that overexercising itself can kill you, providing you are already fit. However becoming overly fatigued can possibly give you problems. I've heard of people dying because they were on extreme low calorie diets and as a result their heart became fatigued and had heart attacks. So if arguably if you are not eating enough and getting enough rest then yes. However even though 40 hours+ of cycling a week is quite a lot, I doubt it's a dangerous amount. I'm sure professional cycalists train more than this a week.
Your heart pains could also be a sign that you have a problem with your heart, that you've always had but never noticed and because you're exercising a lot it is becoming more apparent.
Or there's the most likely possiblity it's not even your heart, but rather your bodys core muscles (abs to pecs) that are being fatigued. Core muscle pain is very similar to heart pain, that's why there's loads of people each year that go to A&E complaining of chest pains thinking their having a heart attack, and then finding out they have a hernia or muscle strain.

EDIT: I forgot to say that to only way to be sure is to go to your gp and get checked out. But like I said it's probably nothing serious.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 8

lollypop*

I hope this helps :smile:

People who are at specific risk from obesity, or who need to manage their weight because of a medical condition, need 45-60 minutes of exercise at least five times a week.

Strenuous, moderate or mild?

The intensity at which you workout can be described as strenuous, moderate or mild. What constitutes a strenuous, moderate or mild exercise workload for you will depend on your current fitness.

If you're an Olympic 10,000m runner, jogging one mile in nine minutes would count as mild activity. For most people, though, it would be strenuous, if not impossible. Experts recommend that for purposes of general health, mild to moderate levels of physical activity are all that's required.

For many of us, this means brisk or purposeful walking, or the equivalent level of effort in another activity. Again, what brisk means will depend on your current state of health or fitness. It's a pace at which you feel you're making good progress while still being able to hold a conversation.

As a rule of thumb, exercise of moderate intensity will make you a little warm or sweaty, and slightly out of breath, but no more than that.

Safety first - avoiding illness and injury

Remember you're taking up exercise to improve your health, not to make yourself ill or injured. Bear the following in mind:

* Start slowly. If you haven't done much activity for some time, it's important to build up to the recommended activity level over a few weeks. This might mean starting with a walk of just five minutes.
* If you're not sure how hard you can work because of any health problems you may have, talk to your GP or practice nurse for help and advice. You shouldn't assume because you have, say, a heart condition or a bad back that you can't exercise. In fact, there are many conditions for which certain exercises are positively beneficial. But it may be that you need to rule out certain activities, or build up more gradually than other people – so get medical advice first.
* Pregnant women should also take medical advice about exercising. Exercising during pregnancy can be excellent for posture, and strengthening your abdominal muscles and pelvic floor, but there are also signs that mean you should consult a doctor first, such as bleeding, headaches or nausea, or if you have pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, or have had more than one miscarriage, for example.
* Eat sensibly. Often when we talk about a sensible diet, we mean eating a little less, but once you start exercising there's also the danger of eating too little and having too little energy. We all need a healthy, balanced diet that contains the right vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and proteins, but if you're exercising you're burning energy so you need to make sure you have enough 'fuel'. Again, if you're unsure about the best diet for you, talk to your GP.
* Don't get dehydrated. During exercise our bodies get hot, and our main way of cooling down is to sweat, which means we lose fluid. On average, we lose one litre of fluid for every hour we exercise. The longer and harder you work, the more you'll lose and there's no way to be exact about how much you should drink. Try to drink 300ml to 500ml of fluid in the 15 minutes before your workout, then about 150ml to 250ml every 15 minutes during exercise. For moderate exercise of about half an hour, water is fine – for longer, more strenuous workouts, specialist sports drinks may be better.
* Warm up and stretch. Again, this is more important the longer and harder your planned exercise is, but it's a good habit to get into if you want to prevent injuries, such as pulled muscles.

Reply 9

Sorenfors

There is a correlation between underexercising and heart attacks but I would be surprised if it was the other way around as well, unless you're 70+. Are you sure the chest pains weren't muscle spasms? That happens to me sometimes. And if you're worried you should ask a real doctor about this instead of random people on the internet.

Reply 10

The Procrastinator

Original post by + polarity -

How is that even possible in this weather? :confused:

Weirdly, I've seen more runners in the snow than I did in the summer. Crazy days!!

Reply 11

user152713

Quit your job if you don't want to die.

Reply 12

tikkitak

Original post by The Procrastinator

Weirdly, I've seen more runners in the snow than I did in the summer. Crazy days!!

Tis easier to run in the cold, I hate running in summer when its all hot and horrible. Although snow I haven't attempted yet. That'll be one for tomorrow :biggrin:

And to OP, I dont know if it can cause a heart attack, but I'm pretty sure you're going to seriously wear yourself out doing that much exercise. You really need to make sure you have a lunch break! You cant cycle that much without eating!

Reply 13

F i s

Yes, steroids can do terrible things to people.

Reply 14

The Procrastinator

Original post by tikkitak

Tis easier to run in the cold, I hate running in summer when its all hot and horrible. Although snow I haven't attempted yet. That'll be one for tomorrow :biggrin:

Well yeah I suppose you're right, you wouldn't overheat anytime soon, but still...the thought of it makes me quiver! :biggrin:

Reply 15

Pharm Boy

I remember once reading about left ventricular hypertrophy, whereby the left vetricle's muscle grows due to excersise.. which gives it more oxygen which makes the left ventricle grow etc etc.... and sometimes it can grow a bit too big for the ribcage which can cause pain(/death?) but I think that's like inSUPER EXTREME cases.. LVT's normally pathologically caused.

EDIT: but there's a wee nugget of information :smile:

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 16

James Gregory

1. If you are doing that much exercise, eat lots of high calorie food. I've cycled that much before, and it's impossible not to lose weight. Serious mountaineers, artic explorers and the like literally force themselves to eat lots of chocolate etc
2. Unless you are already at risk of a heart attack for some reason, you will not get a heart attack from over exercise
3. By far the largest danger as a cyclist is being killed by a car or lorry. Wear a helmet, and be extra careful when you are tired.

Reply 17

think1

Original post by Lol1222112

see your doctor they can give you a check over then advise you as to whether you're over doing it.

Reply 18

tikkitak

Original post by The Procrastinator

Well yeah I suppose you're right, you wouldn't overheat anytime soon, but still...the thought of it makes me quiver! :biggrin:

Haha, its not too bad. I wear a massive woolly hat :cool:

Cycling I would not like to do in the winter though. What if you hit ice!?

Reply 19

lollypop*

Original post by Daniel-Ballingall

I think the following is what you are reffering to:

Introduction

Left ventricular hypertrophy, or LVH, is defined by the Mayo Clinic as an “enlargement (hypertrophy) of the muscle tissue that makes up the wall of [the] heart's main pumping chamber (left ventricle).” The left ventricle's muscle tissue increases as a response

Changes in the heart from left ventricular hypertrophy (Georgia Department of Community Health)

to the heart needing to pump more blood. However, the Mayo Clinic states that over time “the walls of the

chamber grow thicker, lose elasticity and eventually may fail to pump with as much force as a healthy heart.” As a result, the patient has an increased risk of having a heart attack, arrhythmia or sudden cardiac arrest. The patient's quality of life is also affected by left ventricular hypertrophy. If the cause of left ventricular hypertrophy is not treated, the patient's risk of death increases.
Causes

The Mayo Clinic notes that the causes of left ventricular hypertrophy force the heart to pump more blood; examples include hypertension, aortic valve stenosis, aortic valve regurgitation, dilated cardiomypathy and a heart attack. Each of these causes forces the muscles to work harder and cause damage to the heart. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is defined as a systolic pressure of 140 mm Hg or above and diastolic pressure of 90 mm Hg or above. Aortic valve stenosis is a condition where the aortic valve is narrowed, preventing normal blood flow from the left ventricle. Aortic valve regurgitation involves a dysfunction of the heart valve between the aorta and left ventricle; this results in blood flowing back into the left ventricle. Dilated cardiomypathy is another heart condition where the left ventricle is enlarged; due to the larger size of the ventricle, more blood accumulates, which forces the left ventricle to work harder. Patients who have a heart attack have scarring of the muscle tissue, which results in the other muscles to compensate.

Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/health/heart-disease/articles/59431.aspx#ixzz16oFtftSR

(edited 13 years ago)