It is widely known that regular exercise can improve health, reduce disease risk, and increase life expectancy, but there are types of exercise that can have the opposite effect under certain conditions. , that is strenuous exercise.
What is strenuous exercise?
There is an index used to measure the intensity of physical activity, called the metabolic equivalent of the task, or MET. 1MET It corresponds to the energy used to sit quietly. different levels Indicated by different MET values of exercise intensity.
- Sedentary: A MET value of 1.5 or less.For example, sitting or lying down
- Low-intensity exercise: MET values 1.6 to 3.0.For example, walking leisurely or lining up at a store
- Moderate-intensity exercise: MET values 3.0 to 6.0.For example, walking briskly, vacuuming, gardening
- High-intensity, strenuous exercise: MET value of 6.0 or higher
high brightness/ Vigorous exercise includes not only brisk walking, running, and jumping rope, but also activities such as marathon running, triathlon, high altitude or cross-country skiing, basketball, ice hockey, field hockey, rugby, handball, and high intensity. interval training.
Common exercises such as walking and running increase in intensity as speed increases. “Strong exercise is walking 4.5 miles per hour, jogging 5 miles per hour, or running 5.5 miles per hour,” said director of preventive cardiology and cardiac rehabilitation at Beaumont Health in Royal Oak, Michigan. said Barry A. Franklin, who serves as Professor of Internal Medicine, William Beaumont School of Medicine, University of Auckland, in an interview with The Epoch Times.
The definition of high-intensity exercise varies by age and individual health. “Some exercises that don’t seem too strenuous can be difficult for an 80-year-old individual,” says Franklin.
while providing regular exercise BenefitsHigh-intensity exercise is associated with these benefits, including improving blood lipid levels, controlling insulin resistance, reducing cardiovascular risk factors, reducing cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality, and increasing well-being and life expectancy. and may pose a risk to life. in certain situations.
Excessive high-intensity exercise can lead to cardiovascular disease
Compared to low-intensity exercise, high-intensity exercise reduces overall cardiovascular benefits and may lead to cardiovascular disease.
Franklin said strenuous exercise causes an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, which can lead to arrhythmias and heart attacks. , applies to individuals who have a history of or are at risk of developing heart problems, such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. .
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine examined 1,228 heart attack patients and found that the risk of having a heart attack within an hour after strenuous exercise was 5.9 times compared to not exercising as hard or not at all. Another study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology also found that the relative risk of heart attack from strenuous exercise was 6.1 times higher than at lower levels of physical activity and rest.
another prospective study Among 1,098 healthy joggers and 3,950 healthy non-joggers in Denmark, the risk of death was 49% higher for light joggers and moderate joggers compared to those who did not exercise much. showed a 62% reduction in humans. It’s worth noting that the risk of death for vigorous joggers is about the same as for non-joggers, only 6% lower. Adjusted calculations showed that the moderate jogger’s all-cause mortality was three times that of the light jogger, and the vigorous jogger’s all-cause mortality was nine times that of the light jogger.
another study More than 1 million women found that women who exercised vigorously every day were more likely to have coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and venous thromboembolism compared with women who did only two to three times a week of vigorous physical activity. indicated a high risk of developing the disease.
Research Shows Very high-dose exercise can increase the risk of atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, and ventricular arrhythmias. It causes the release of certain substances that are harmful to vascular health, increasing your risk. sudden cardiac deathaccording to a review in Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy Review.
In addition, a paper in the Journal of Missouri Medicine found that prolonged vigorous exercise was associated with many Free radicals, can promote atherosclerosis and lead to endothelial dysfunction. The presence and amount of calcified coronary plaque is an important index for evaluating heart disease. 25 years tracking A study of 3,175 Americans People who exercised more than three times the recommended guidelines (450 minutes or more of exercise per week) were more likely to develop coronary artery calcification by middle age than those who did not meet the exercise criteria (less than 150 minutes of exercise). It showed a 27% higher risk of developing it. a few minutes of exercise per week). This was especially pronounced among Caucasians, who have an 80% higher risk of developing coronary artery calcification.
Exercise inflection points and effects on mitochondria and blood glucose levels
According to a paper in Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy Review, there is an “inflection point” in the effects of exercise duration and intensity on human health. The Missouri Medicine article states that there is no need for sustained strenuous exercise for more than 40 to 60 minutes.
Once you cross the inflection point, your heart starts to get damaged and you can develop metabolic problems as well.
“When you start exercising once or twice a week, everything seems to be working well and your mitochondria improve glucose control,” says Mikael Flockhart, a doctoral candidate at the GIH Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, with The Epoch Times. said in an interview.
“But if you push yourself too hard every day, you’ll fall into this negativity and reverse the benefits of controlling your blood sugar.
Led by Flockhart A study that showed After a week of daily high-intensity training, participants’ mitochondrial respiration was significantly reduced, interfering with glucose tolerance and insulin secretion. explained.
Flockhart goes on to explain that when someone starts training too hard, it can put the body in an imbalanced state, suppressing the immune response, affecting normal hormone secretion and lowering testosterone levels. Did. In addition, the various stressors resulting from strenuous exercise can impair sleep quality and contribute to depressed mood.
People at high risk when doing high-intensity exercise
Franklin emphasized that high-intensity exercise is not inherently dangerous, and when done in moderation, “higher-intensity exercise is more beneficial in protecting the heart.” It can be fatal to some people.
1. Sedentary people
“People accustomed to sitting for long periods of time are at greatest risk when performing sudden strenuous exercise,” said Franklin.
Research suggests The most active and least fit individuals are at the highest risk of experiencing exercise-related acute heart disease. According to our database of over 2.9 million fitness members, almost half Exercise-related deaths occurred among members who did not exercise regularly or less than once a week.
2.People with heart disease
Franklin says many people are unaware that they have heart disease and are at high risk for strenuous exercise.
Even people who were active and healthy in their youth may have developed cardiovascular disease in the last few decades without realizing it. Therefore, when these individuals who are not accustomed to high-intensity exercise participate in activities such as basketball games, their risk of heart problems is greatly increased.
Additionally, some busy adults choose high-intensity exercise as a way to start their fitness journey, believing it to be time-efficient and effective. It may be dangerous if you have no underlying cardiovascular disease.
In an interview, Franklin said a 38-year-old male nurse who had hoped to change his obese figure through exercise died suddenly while running on the treadmill on his first day at the gym. You mentioned a case encountered by
It is worth noting that approximately 38 percent Eight Americans aged 40 to 59 have cardiovascular disease (including hypertension, coronary heart disease, heart failure and stroke), rising to 73% in the 60 to 79 age group To do. What’s more, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one-fifth of heart attacks are asymptomatic.
“That’s why I always tell every middle-aged and older patient or adult starting an exercise program to start with walking,” says Franklin. He recommended starting with his program of gradual walking his training for two to three months before transitioning to running.
how to exercise moderately
Franklin advocated four exercise plans that included walking.
- Older people who are unwell are recommended to walk at a comfortable pace of 2 miles per hour for 1 hour at a time, 4 days a week.
- Moderate-intensity exercise three days a week is recommended for relatively healthy people. For example, walk at a pace of 3 miles per hour for 1 hour per session.
- For relatively fit people, there is another moderate-intensity regimen of walking 5-6 days a week for 30 minutes or more at a pace of 2.5-3 miles per hour.
- Walk 7,000 steps a day.
Franklin provided further clarification on the final recommendations. While many aim to reach his 10,000 steps in his daily step goal, he only needs to walk 7,000 steps per day to get certain health benefits.Franklin mentioned Main research A 2021 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people who walk more than 7,000 steps per day have a 50-70% lower mortality rate over the next 10 years than those who walk less than 7,000 steps per day. I understand.
Franklin said running can get the same effect in less time compared to walking.
Flockhart believes that for the average person to stay healthy, daily exercise should be low-intensity, and high-intensity training once or twice a week is acceptable. However, more than 3 sessions are not effective and may even interfere with regular low-intensity exercise. Additionally, the total duration of each high-intensity training session he should not exceed 30 minutes.
“The amount of training is the most important factor in staying healthy,” says Flockhart. Many people are exercising in an attempt to get more benefit from high-intensity workouts, but “it’s not sustainable,” he said. It can be very difficult to maintain, so it’s important to find a healthy exercise routine that can be sustained over the long term.
“Relaxing activities like jogging, biking, and short walks can be really enjoyable and make you appreciate nature. I think that’s the most important exercise,” said Flockhart.
