Weekend athlete: how is your heart? – 01/08/2023 – Bruno Gualano

Acute cardiac events are common causes of disability and mortality. According to Datasus, hospitalizations caused by myocardial infarction increased by more than 150% between 2008 and 2022, which is due to aging and the unhealthy lifestyle of the population.

Regular practice of physical activity is one of the best shields against cardiovascular disease. But there is evidence that episodes of physical and emotional stress can trigger heart attacks and cardiac arrest.

Supporting our national team (and what about our Corinthians?), having sex — which, yes, can be intense and exciting! — and playing soccer on Sunday are some seemingly harmless activities that cause changes in blood pressure, heart rate, hormones, blood viscosity and vessel constriction. A challenge to the proper functioning of the heart.

Is this a sign that weekend furriers should hang up their boots? Not what a recent study suggests.

In possession of data from about 90 thousand participants of the UK Biobank cohort (United Kingdom), scientists associated cardiovascular events with different patterns of physical activity: (1) 150 minutes or more, concentrated in 1 or 2 days a week; (2) 150 minutes or more, spread evenly over the week; and (3) less than 150 minutes per week.

Compared to the inactive ones in the last group, practitioners of “concentrated” or “distributed” physical activity showed — without differences between them — lower risks of arterial fibrillation, myocardial infarction, heart failure and stroke.

From the study, it is concluded that what counts for heart health is the amount of movement accumulated, and not its distribution.

Translating to life, dear reader: if you lack time from Monday to Friday to exercise, do it on the weekend, without fear of being happy.

And what about the risks? As we have seen, they exist, but they are low and outweighed by the benefits, especially when three fundamental precautions are taken:

1. If you have diagnosed illnesses or heart symptoms (chest pain, shortness of breath), or joint symptoms (knee pain), consult with a doctor before starting an intense exercise routine. You may be prescribed a stress test, in which any heart problems can be identified in a stressful situation.
2. The “weekend warrior” — as they say in the English language —, despite the grandeur of the term, is far from being a professional athlete. Therefore, gradually progress in the chosen modality, in order to improve your conditioning and prevent the frequent orthopedic injuries that beset the “warriors”.
3. We know that inactive people are much more susceptible to acute cardiac events. A simple way to prevent them, therefore, is to remain physically active, beyond the day of the naked game.

Contrary to what one might suppose, the new evidence . Thus, the thesis that every movement counts gains traction.

Good news for Sunday morning peladeiros. And for Saturday night lovers.

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