For a long time, we believed that people with heart problems could not play sports at the risk of aggravating these disorders. However, we can see today that sporting activity can be beneficial to them provided certain requirements are respected.
Indeed, even if the regular practice of a sport can have positive effects on heart disease, some precautions must be taken and especially consult a doctor before starting any activity.
HEART DISEASE
The heart disease is numerous, the most common of them being the coronary disease. In addition, there are several types of heart problems:
- Innate, congenital, or genetic diseases such as deformities of the heart
- Degenerative diseases often caused by aging
- Accidental illnesses.
The symptoms of heart problems are also very diverse. We must be attentive to all the ailments that can reveal a heart disease: pain in the chest (tightness, tightness, crushing …), excess sweating, headaches, nausea, dizziness, palpitations, sore spots, abnormal shortness of breath, syncope, fatigue, great weakness, sleep disturbances, edema …
ASSOCIATE SPORT WITH HEART PROBLEMS
Contrary to popular belief, people with heart disease can exercise by following a few rules.
If you are prone to heart problems, the sport you play should be suited to the strain your heart can put in. It is only under this condition that you can carry out a sports activity. In this case, it helps get your heart back to work and reduces other risk factors for heart attacks such as diabetes or obesity.
Recommended sports for patients with heart disease are walking, the running practiced moderately, the bike, the swimming, and gentle exercise like yoga. Note that 30 minutes of walking, 3 times a week at a normal pace and on flat ground, improves the performance of the heart pump by about 12%!
Can We Play Sports with Heart Disease?
PRECAUTIONS TO BE TAKEN
Overall, an athlete should always take care of his heart by consuming little alcohol and avoiding tobacco. Even if you don’t have heart problems, be vigilant, and watch out for signs of discomfort as you approach your 40s. If you practice sports intensely, get a medical check-up from the age of 35 for men and 45 for women. Of course, if you have heart disease, you must be especially careful and watch out for the slightest discomfort during your effort.
- Equip yourself with a heart rate monitor to monitor your heart during exercise.
- Warm-up and cool down for at least 10 minutes before and after a workout.
- Hydrate yourself properly before, during, and after exercise.
- Avoid strenuous activity in outdoor temperatures below -5 ° C or above 30 ° C.
- Stop or moderate your effort if you are not feeling well.
- Report any pain, discomfort, palpitation, discomfort that occurs during or after exercise to your doctor.
THE BENEFITS OF SPORT ON HEART DISEASE
Generally speaking, sport is always good for the heart. If you do not have heart problems, it allows it to develop, to make it stronger, more enduring, and less sensitive to the effects of aging.
People with heart disease have reduced physical abilities and often lose self-confidence. A suitable sport practiced regularly can allow secondary cardiac rehabilitation and can restore confidence in its capacities.
Physical activity can help the heart with:
- Ischemic heart disease or angina pectoris: sport can decrease the work of the heart and improve its vascularization to avoid pain
- Heart failure: sport helps increase the heart pump’s capacity to flow and improves oxygen supply to the muscles.
- Heart transplant: light physical activity can improve the ability of the transplanted heart to adapt to the work of the organism, fight against the side effects of anti-rejection treatment and develop the functional capacities of the body.
The Bloggify 