We all know that exercise is good for us, right? But exercise can also bring about dangers, too. For example, my former Scoutmaster from when I was in high school suffered from a heart attack and died while riding his bike a few weeks ago. He was in his late 60s, without any major known health concerns. He rode almost every day, not knowing that there were health issues at hand. Unfortunately, his family is grieving now. They lost a great man.
I don’t know all of the details of this case, but one of the preliminary concerns that the reports stated was that this was aggravated by exercise. While exercise is certainly a good thing, it remains important that you consult a doctor before beginning if you have any concerns about your overall health or if you are over the age of 60. Yes, exercise is good, but there are health concerns that it may bring up, especially if you have high blood pressure. Current research out of the Boston University School of Medicine confirms this.
In their recently published study, scientists stated that when someone’s blood pressure takes longer to return to normal after exercise, there is a greater risk of cardiovascular complications and death. Blood pressure changes during and after exercise typically help to strengthen the cardiovascular system, but not always. By identifying issues before they get worse, needless deaths can be avoided down the road. Elderly individuals can live a higher quality of life as a result of this.
This was one of the first studies that looked at blood pressure recovery after exercise and its association with heart disease risk later on in life. Although the results seem to be pretty negative, these findings have the potential to do a lot of good. By pinpointing barriers to health earlier in life, people have a lot more to gain as they age. By showing some of the dangers of an otherwise good thing, we can use exercise to really help ourselves and the people that we love, rather than have it lead to even worse health issues.
Of course, the big question that comes out of this research is, “how do we prevent this from happening?” And that’s a tough question because there’s not an easy answer. It means getting a handle on blood pressure issues early on in life and monitoring it on a consistent basis. It means not working too hard when you’re exercising, but hard enough that you can reap the benefits of it. And it means being in communication with a health professional before you begin a new routine and checking in frequently depending on any identified needs. This is intensive, but the end result is a healthier individual.
There is a type of exercise out there for everyone. Finding one that is enjoyable and safe can be tricky for some of us, though. However, exercise can provide huge health benefits. Still, it is important that you work in conjunction with a doctor in order to make this safe and beneficial for you and your family.
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