Any doctors? Is this lack of cardio fitness or am I on course for a cardiac issue?

[Mollytohiding]

Any doctors out there? I'm post meno, have exercised for years and years but whilst for a long time did HITT classes, more and more focussed on heavy weights. This past year, cardio dropped to very little, exclusively weights. I skip for a minute at the end of each session. I walk the dog, but you know - no great pace. I have sedentary job. I have slightly elevated cholesterol (familial)

Two weeks ago, walked up a steepish road with a friend, a bit pissed, talking - got winded, had to stop. Same thing next day uphill on phone.

I then tried to test myself walking up an INCREDIBLY steep hill with difficult foot markings and I did it but it was hard. Husband and kids tore up, annoyingly.

So, am I cardio unconditioned, as they say, or could there be something else?

@Mollytohiding I am not a doctor, but get checked out. I was, and am slim and fit. While this is anecdotal, at 67, I experienced a shortness of breath when going uphill on a road I use every day. Not panting, just a distinct intake that wasn't there before and immediately disappeared. I went to have it checked and nearly broke the bloody BP machine. My BP was though the roof after a lifetime of being on the low but OK side. I had an immediate EKG which showed an electrical issue which has a high correlation with cardiac issues.

Many more tests later and a mild dilated cardiomyopathy was identified. I'll be on medication for this for the rest of my life. I can do everything I used to do. The symptoms have never returned.

BTW, if you have an EKG, take a photo of the print out. It was the one thing all doctors wanted to look at as it showed the electrical fault.

Are you regularly walking at pace up hills? If not, of course, it won’t be easy. Also, it sounds like in one instance, you were drunk. That will absolutely have an impact on your heart rate and respiration. Is drinking rare or a weekly/ more regular thing?

I’d start putting in time to build your stamina up. If you don’t use it, you lose it. I was diagnosed with cancer last year. It meant I was able to do pretty much nothing in terms of exercise. I was regularly doing 20 mile hilly hikes pre-diagnosis. After a year of no exercise, I finished treatment, but was winded and had to sit down and rest just walking a mile. But a month of regular walking 1-4 miles at a time, and I’m back to mostly normal. I mean, I couldn’t yet do 20 miles, but I can walk 4 again without having to stop and rest.

Crikey I get out of breath just turning over in bed. My dad died of congestive heart failure but not until he was 71. I’m 41

I'm not sure what the difference is - I had to stop as I felt winded. That's the only way I can explain it

That's really great, well done. I'm sorry for what you've been though but I'm glad you're back on track.

No, I hardly ever drink and no, I rarely walk at pace up hills - or with other people, talking!

I'm not a doctor, but this could easily be anaemia. I'd say it's worth checking that as its a simple blood test. I have a medical condition that means I get anaemic easily and how easily I can walk up hills is the best way I've found to guess my haemoglobin status.

Have you had your vitamin B12 checked?

When I found out I had an overactive thyroid this was one of
my biggest symptoms, I used to be able to walk up flights of steps or steep hills without issue ( despite not really doing much cardio) and then all of a sudden I couldn’t and had to stop as felt super tired and winded almost. A visit to the doctors and a blood test might help?

Out of breath = breathing really heavy and really quickly and your heart's off like the clappers but no discomfort.

Short of breath = feeling like you can't suck enough air into your lungs or there isn't enough space in your lungs for the amount of air you're trying to suck in - it feels tight and uncomfortable and you feel like if you could have a good cough that would sort it.

If you have a sedentary job and only go walking on flat roads, I am not surprised that a steep hill felt challenging. I broke a bone and had to stop playing netball for months, when I started playing again I was out of breath and felt unfit, my job is very sedentary too. You can lose it quickly, especially if you have a sedentary job. If you are concerned I would talk to a doctor, but I wouldn't completely rule out that it might just be a lack of fitness.

Walking up a steep hill is really difficult, most people would struggle with that.

You don't need to see a doctor, you just need to improve your fitness.

On holiday last year I was getting out of breath and I thought to myself, damn I’ve let myself get really unfit!

Anyway, we came home on the Sunday and that night I started thinking that I ought to get myself checked out.

Well you all know how impossible it is to get a GP appointment on a Monday morning. I tried and to cut a long story short, the practice nurse called me at 3.30 pm and told me to go to A & E. After hours of waiting I had bloods taken and a CT scan. This revealed multiple blood clots in both my lungs and I was admitted. I’m shocked that this happened and I was walking along on holiday, just thinking I wasn’t very fit.

Get yourself checked @Mollytohiding .You just never know.

I am a 61 year old doctor .. when I had similar symptoms I went and saw my GP and got it checked out… if Indid it then you should too.

That’s awful! Did you feel unwell generally or just out of breath when exercising? I hope the OP does go to the GP

I didn’t feel unwell at all. I’d just had a really nice holiday. My only symptom was being breathless when climbing a slope and to start with I just thought I’d become unfit.

Now I’m curious - what tests do they do? Were you ok?

sorry I had an ECG and blood tests for BNP and tropinin .. BNP checks the heart is pumping ok and tropinin checks if any damage to heart.
They where all reassuring and I thought lack fitness and when I got fitter symptoms improved so I was reassured.. if I hadn’t been reassured I would have done an echocardiogram (ultrasound heart) and exercise ECG .. although the later is not as good in women at picking up heart disease.
Heart disease in women is easily missed.

If you're doing weights, presumably your legs are strong. You'd expect to not be as out of breath with good muscle strength. I would go to the GP.

Just when exercising, as far as I know. But out of breath to an extent that was unusual for him.

I'm so sorry to hear that. Are you feeling well now?

Did you generally exercise before?

So I hear everything people are saying and I'll get it checked out. That said, I just went to the gym and did the following and it wasn't easy-easy but I did it. Not a long HITT, but a furious one.

Should I be reassured by this?

Hammer Strength Assault bike (hardest in the gym)
8 sets x 20 seconds all out max exertion + 10 sec rest in between

Rest 2 mins

Treadmill
4 x 20 sec at 10Kmp + O% inclune + 10 sec rest
4 x 20 sec at 10KMP at 2% incline + 10 sec rest
4 x 20 se at 10KMP at 4%incine + 10 sec rest
Rest 3 mins or so

Skip rope
8 x 40 sec + 10 rest in between

The heart is a different muscle

Thanks, that's really helpful.

Ha ha.
The stronger your body is, through the training you do, the less you're making your cardio system to do when you walk up a hill

Can you imagine the difference between someone who's got muscle wastage through doing no lifting at all for years, vs a body builder- can you see how one would get more easily up a hill than the other, regardless of their heart health?

given that you are training, even without lots of cardio training, IMO you shouldn't find it this hard to climb a hill and in your shoes I'd make a GP appointment.

Without frightening OP and a reason I say get checked out, the exact same thing happened to me.

I had noticed over a couple of weeks that I was getting slightly breathless when doing my usual running. I awoke one morning thinking I had a chest infection/pleurisy as it hurt one side around my ribs to breathe in. It turned out to multiple blood clots in the lungs. The point is, I would never have believed this could happen to me. I was 50 but very fit, ate healthily, no smoking or drinking. It was an unprovoked PE, no cause was found and I’m now on blood thinners for life.

I'm so sorry to hear this.