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Why Do People Suffer a Heart Attack After Going to the GYM?

Introduction

Heart attack is getting more common day by day for regular gym goers. The recent death of celebrities like Raju Srivastava – September 2022, Sagar Pandey – October 2022, Puneeth Rajkumar – October 2021, Deepesh Bhan – July 2022, and Siddhaanth Surryavanshi – November 2022 and many more has even worsened the situation for normal people. They got a heart attack while exercising. This has increased the fear of getting a heart attack in gym, especially for the youth. With the rising fear, we need to be aware of some things and precautions that should be taken in the gym to avoid this situation. In this blog, we will learn the relationship between gym and heart attacks and how we can avoid them.

Reasons behind getting a Heart Attack in Gym: Explained

A heart attack can occur when there is a tiny obstruction in the blood flow caused by vigorous exertion, which can occasionally cause the blood pressure and adrenaline hormone to rise. First, when it comes to strenuous exercises, like running swiftly, experts advise against overdoing it and offer tips on how to finish the training. Nothing you do in excess will be beneficial; it will only cause harm. A heart attack while exercising or even a normal heart attack is sometimes unpredictable, due to which you cannot prevent a heart attack 100% but can take preventive measures to decrease the risk of a heart attack. Smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, BP, alcohol addiction, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, etc are some of the things that can be controlled by taking preventative measures to decrease the risk of a heart attack in the future. Following are the factors that increase the risk of a heart attack while exercising, especially for young gym goers: • Lack of water and loss of important body fluids like sodium, and potassium, cause dehydration in the body which can interfere with the normal rhythm of the heart while exercising. • Strenuous exercise can result in oxygen debt in the body. Strenuous exercises involve swimming, rope jumping, cycling faster than 10mph, running, and forceful exercises or lifting intense weights beyond the body limit of an individual in the gym. Many people try to push their limits far beyond their capacity. This is the biggest reason for the deaths due to heart attacks in the gym. • Shifting more towards an unhealthy eating style and increasing consumption of alcohol and cigarettes, causing, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and ultimately heart attack. • Young gym goers never check the status of their health and worry about what’s going on inside the body which creates underlying problems inside the body of an individual who is unaware. They may get a sudden heart attack since they don’t know if their arteries are clogged or not. Remember “Health is Wealth”, so try to stay updated on your health. • Exercise frequently results in a sudden increase in blood pressure. The issue arises, though, if your blood pressure doesn’t drop after your workout. Systolic blood pressure spikes during exercise are considered normal, your blood pressure will increase during exercise but it should not be above 200 mm hg. Your diastolic blood pressure, on the other hand, shouldn’t fluctuate when you exercise. Take note of these tips to avoid a heart attack in gym!

Relationship between gym and heart attack

A good approach to reducing your risk of developing heart disease is to stay active. Walking is a common aerobic workout that is proven to be beneficial for the heart. Both weight loss and blood pressure reduction, which are risk factors for heart disease, can be accomplished with its aid. However, some studies have found that engaging in physical activity can increase your risk of having a heart attack. Additionally, studies have revealed a cause-and-effect relationship between increased physical activity and heart disease rates. These facts, along with the fact that exercise has been proven to slow down aging, are perhaps the reasons why an increasing proportion of adults think doing more exercise is beneficial. Therefore, a lot of people all over the world exercise improperly. They don’t know about the relationship between gym and heart attack. Exercising under an expert or following the guidelines and rules can make an individual safe from the risk of a heart attack. Progressive overload is a way to push limits slowly and steadily in the gym, which also will not put a sudden harsh impact on your heart. If you suddenly put on weights while doing a workout or decide to go a sudden intense cardio session, according to your wish, you are increasing your risk of getting a heart attack while exercising.

What is better for the heart, Cardio, or Strength training?

Many people contend that strength training is superior to cardio. They should both be done frequently because they complement one another, in my opinion. They both share and have unique advantages. Strength training, for instance, is better for maintaining muscle mass and bone density, but endurance training is linked to heart health and lifespan. But if we compare thoroughly and rely on the studies then strength training is more beneficial to the heart than aerobic exercises like cycling and walking. Now take a look and learn about the following preventions you should take to avoid heart attack after exercising.

Preventive measures to avoid heart attack while exercising

1. Know your limits While exercising, know what are the limits of your body and how far you can push your limits. If you overdo a workout or do it intensively, you put yourself at risk of getting a heart attack after exercising.

2. Be updated about your health Whether you are above 50 or not, get scrutinized by a cardiologist or go for regular health checkups at regular intervals to avoid the risk of a heart attack in gym.

3. Plan apt. pre and post-workout meals With the help of a trainer, expert, dietician, or educational videos on YouTube, make a proper diet plan which is healthy for your heart and overall health. Avoid hitting the gym immediately after having a meal as it will deteriorate your health and you will gain nothing.

4. Know when to stop If you experience any kind of pain in any part of the body, especially if it is chest pain, breathlessness, dizziness, too much sweating, or any other similar thing, stop immediately and take a break and discuss it with the gym trainer. And if you are unwell or have a fever, avoid the gym on that day.

5. Stay Hydrated While exercising is essential, monitoring the body is equally important! You may sweat during exercise, which may cause your body to become dehydrated. Just remember to remain hydrated. Frequently consume water or other liquids that can hydrate your body.


Conclusion:

After understanding the importance of this topic and the relation between gym and heart attack, we hope you will take the necessary precautions to avoid the risk of a heart attack after exercising or in general also. If after practicing these tips also you think you are at risk of heart attack and you are thinking to go for bypass surgery or angioplasty then SAAOL advises you to go for an alternative treatment instead called EECP therapy, which is more effective and less costly. EECP doesn’t require cutting the body and is a non-invasive treatment with many other benefits that you can learn about through our website. Also, you can book an appointment through our website or our webinar which will help you to treat your heart disease through lifestyle and dietary changes.