Is Physical Exercise really good for you?

[dottypotter]

Someone I know had a heart attack while playing tennis.Someone else was telling me their friend died while playing football last month.
It got me thinking is physical exercise good for you or dangerous?

Just back from the gym and didn't die.

Is this a parody/satirical account?!

People can die of genetic heart conditions no matter how active or inactive they are. I think the OP makes a mistake in thinking correlation = causation. You can have a heart attack playing tennis but it doesn't mean the tennis CAUSED the heart attack.

Also you can exercise all you like but if you eat junk then no amount of exercise will lower your cholesterol, blood glucose levels etc.

#Reformtheeducationsystem #ohgodwepayforthesepeoplesschooling!

If you’re trying to use freak accidents as an excuse to be lazy, op, then I’m sorry to say that no: physical exercise is good for you and a sedentary lifestyle is very bad for you.

You can't be serious...

I think I'd probably rather drop off the cross-trainer, stone dead, than linger all immobile and going slowly gaga in some horrible dirty and understaffed care home or noisy and chaotic hospital.
*off to do the gym and Pilates later :-)

Agreed and I’ve read some stupid stuff !!

I'm a paramedic, I went to a 15 yo who had a cardiac arrest in his sleep and someone in their 20s who had a cardiac arrest whilst having sex.

Stay safe in the bedroom OP.

You can probably argue anything these days. I saw a bear grylls post where he argued broccoli is bad for you.

There has been a rise in SADS in the last 2 years though, and no one knows why.

m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0JRdFNJA52MGJtfPY4tmWzKdNPBPgiBY7rjUqVk3uiX8fQtA4ctbohmKoScS2XF7Xl&id=100044344840238

Op

i think you need to focus on mental exercise if you’re asking this

People can die of genetic heart conditions no matter how active or inactive they are. I think the OP makes a mistake in thinking correlation = causation. You can have a heart attack playing tennis but it doesn't mean the tennis CAUSED the heart attack.

I mean maybe the raised heart rate sped up the inevitable but similarly being fit may have also delayed it. Same could have happened climbing the stairs or running for the bus. Daft question 😆

Also older people (and they 40’s and 50’s is getting old) think they should still excersise the same as they did in their 20’s and do all this intensive stuff which they shouldn’t

For women in their 40s and 50s, it's exactly the right time to be hitting the weights. This helps stave off osteoporosis and prevents loss of muscle mass so that you don't become weak and suffer falls as you age.

I agree that things like Iron Man are probably just a good way to develop injuries though, but it's still prefereble to sitting obese on the sofa.

@Summerlols aye weird that, well I see it's been attributed to all sorts of causes...

@Summerlols From looking at the data it's because the numbers dipped in 2018. In 2019 exactly the same number of people died of SADS as in 2017 and there was just one more death than that in 2020. 2016 was the highest so numbers have dropped considerably in the past 6 years but given how few people we are talking about, it's not really possible to claim there is any sort of pattern.

www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/transparencyandgovernance/freedomofinformationfoi/suddenadultdeaths2016to2021

Moderate exercise is good for almost everyone (but what counts as moderate is different for different people). Don’t suddenly do an intense bout of exercise. Start slow and build up to regular exercise, then do more intense (ideally with some guidance from people in the sport to prevent injury).

if you have heart issues or close relatives have heart issues (especially at a young age) then see a dr.

the issue for people who do a lot of sport (including at junior, club or school level) is that intense exercise in athletes with a muscular heart AND certain rare genes can mean it is more likely to go into an irregular rhythm (causing cardiac arrest). There is a good charity called CRY (cardiac risk in the young) who do screening on young people who do a lot of sport -to pick up people who might have these rare genes. www.c-r-y.org.uk

also drugs like cocaine are bad for the heart and predispose to heart problems.

In moderation yes. My dad ran marathons and played squash a lot. By his late 50s he had atrial fibrillation and two heart operations. I think he over did it.

"A friend of a friend died had a stroke while drinking a glass of water yesterday, and I remember my cousin sipping some water a few minutes before his brain haemorrhage. That got me thinking - is water bad for you?"

The question you've asked is basically equivalent to that.

Exercise is of course good for you. But if you’re worried at all, just don’t do extremely high intensive exercise and then you’ll lower the risk if you do have an undisclosed condition. Exercise doesn’t need to be high intensity to work.

Anyone else think the Op is just looking for an excuse why she shouldn’t exercise

If you have a heart condition, exercise can trigger it, of course. But generally, for the vast, vast majority of people, being active is better than not.

Sadly people do drop dead but the benefits of exercise outweigh those of being a couch potato: Runners and other sportspeople dropping dead are the exception rather than the rule, unknown heart problems not picked up in medical exams are often a cause: There was a recent study by Harvard University, which conculded that 75 mins - 5 hours of vigourous exercise reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease by 30 - 35%: Any more than this didn't reduce the possiblity more, but it didn't do any harm either: