Special Exercise Consideration

AFTER EATING: Never exercise immediately after eating, as most of the blood supply is towards digestive system for food digestion & exercising muscles get less blood, resulting in abdominal cramps & giddiness.

Exercise 4 hours after major meals & 2-3 hrs after snacks.

AFTER SMOKING: Smoking any time is not a good idea. It is particularly bad idea to smoke within 2 hrs of beginning exercise. Smoking limits your blood oxygen carrying capacity & constricts your coronaries leading to chest pain or myocardial infarction.

AFTER ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION: Precipitate heart arrhythmia's, causes diuresis, hypotension.

HOT WEATHER:

1. It puts extra burden on your cardiovascular system.

2. It can decrease your tolerance for exercise. It can cause cramps, dehydration & heat strokes.

3. When exercising in heat or humidity, decrease the duration & intensity of your exercise & monitor your heart rate closely.

4. Allow your body more time to warm-up & cool down.

5.Drink plenty of fluid preferably water before, during & after exercise to ensure body's cooling system.

6. Apply sunscreen lotion & wear goggles to prevent against UVL.

COLD WEATHER:

Cold weather also makes cardiovascular system work harder & can cause your arteries to constrict - causing chest pain.

1. Avoid heat loss: Dress in layers & remove extra clothing as you warm up.

2. Keep your skin dry; wear hat, & gloves to protect your extremities.

HIGH ALTITUDE:

1. The higher you go the less oxygen is available to breathe; therefore it takes more effort to run the same distance at high altitude than at lower altitude.

2. Those with heart disease may experience angina when exercise at high altitude.

3.Therefore decrease both the intensity & duration of exercise at high altitude.

4.To avoid high altitude sickness, acclimatize yourself by ascending only 1000-2000 feet per day.

ILLNESS:

1. Avoid exercise when you are ill especially fever.

2. Exercise may exacerbate the illness.

3. Resume your exercise program at a lower intensity & duration and gradually increase to previous level.

OVER EXERTION:

1. When you have overdone it you will feel fatigued long after your usual recovery time & your heart rate may not return to its pre-existing level as quickly as to normal.

2. Review why this has happened.

3.Did you get enough sleep the previous night.

4. Did you push yourself too in the working?

5. Exercise with awareness. Listen to your body before during & after exercise.

MEDICATIONS:

1. BETA BLOCKERS- Decrease HR & BP sometimes increase exercise tolerance.

2. DIURETICS - Decrease K+, which can increase arrythmias.

BRONCHODILATORS - Increase HR, increase or decrease BP, may cause arrythmias and ischaemia.

NICOTINE - Increase HR & BP, provoke ischaemia and arrythmias..

THYROID MEDICATION: Increase HR & BP

OTHER WARNING SIGNS:Dizziness, Recurrent & excessive fatigue.

    * Poor recovery, unusually heavy sweating.

    * Rapid or irregular heart beats.

    * Unusual shortness of breath.

    * New or increased chest pain, jaw, back or arm pain or anginal pain that does not go away with rest or after taking NTG pills.

( Writer is Welknown Obsity & Fitness Consultant )