Re: Long-Term exercise post Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack)

[Guest guest]

--- varadosyo wrote:

> As a new member of the group, I have followed with

> interest a number

> of posts, especially those regarding aging and

> exercise.

>

> Briefly, I suffered a heart attack 7 years ago. 2

> years later, had

> another, two weeks after that a blood clot developed

> in a chamber and

> cause another infarction. At that point, I quit

> smoking, completely

> changed what I consumed in terms of food and

> beverages and embarked

> upon an exercise plan.

************************

Sorry about your misfortune but happy to hear that you

survived and made the necessary lifestyle changes.

***************************

> 1 year later I had lost 80 pounds and was able to

> run a 12 minute

> mile. It is important to take into account that

> approximately half

> of my heart is dead tissue. I worked out at the gym

> 5 days a week

> with a trainer doing resistance and cardio work.

> Twice a week, a

> trainer came to my business at lunch time and put me

> through military

> grass drills and sprints. On the weekend, I took

> boxing lessons.

> Later, I dropped the boxing and took up Kung-Fu

> twice per week.

>

> 3 years into this, I very suddenly became burned

> out.

******************

You did the right thing in exercising and losing

weight but unfortunately you pushed yourself too hard

and it is not surprising that you suffered burnout.

Since you apparently own your own business I am going

to surmise that you have a type A personality and

attacked the problem with your health with the same

compulsion that helped you succeed in business.

***************************

My nutrition

> plan, which consisted of tuna, sweet potatoes,

> lettuce, tomatoes,

> cucumbers, non-fat cottage cheese, dark green

> vegetables, tofu, egg

> whites and brown rice was beginning to disgust me.

************************

Who designed your diet? Was it same person who

designed your workout?

***************************

> During that time,

> I never, under any condition, cheated. At the same

> time, I injured

> my shoulder and elbow and opted for cortisone

> treatment. My work

> outs became torture, I began to mistrust and dislike

> my trainer, and

> I decided one morning that I had had enough. I

> stopped all exercise

> completely, which, I believe, only intensifed my

> negative frame of

> mind.

> Nearly two years passed, I gained 40 pounds, and

> became somewhat

> deconditioned. Fast forward: I bought a fitness

> facility, started

> working out daily, boxing and eating clean. In

> November, I

> completely ruptured my gastrocnemius doing a

> roundhouse kick. I

> consider myself to be a strong willed person but

> this has caused

> negative thinking and burnout again, and a return to

> very poor eating

> habits.

The orthopoedist told me the muscle was

> permanently damaged,

> but that I could go back to previous exertion levels

> under supervison

> by March with complete return to my program by

> April.

>

> MY QUESTION: Has anybody in this group experienced

> something

> similar, or does anybody know somebody who has?

******************************

Your problem is not an uncommon one. I have been

there (although I did not have a heart attack ). For

years I was totally immersed in my practice to the

detriment of my health. Long hours, sometimes as many

100 hrs a week left very little time for exercise,

sensible eating went out the window etc. Most

physicians, myself included, tend to be somewhat

compulsive and all too often everything else gets put

aside.

One day I had an epiphany. I was out of shape had

gained weight and had unfortunately been smoking as

well (in those days every body smoked even in the

hospitals). I had seen many successful men who had

heart attacks at a relatively young age (I was 44) who

managed to turn their lives around and change their

habits completely.

I realized that unless I made some changes I would be

dead in 10 years, probably from a heart attack. I

started riding my bicycle, quit smoking changed my

eating habits. I managed to lose weight and even

began competitive bicycle racing (that was the result

of my compulsive nature). Unfortunately, like you, my

compulsion took over and I had cycles of burnout

weight gain then return to dieting an exercising and

weight loss. For a while this followed a 2 year

cycle.

A number of years ago I realized that I needed to

stop this period of too much exercise followed by no

exercise and decided that I would follow a sensible

daily exercise program that I could live with and a

sensible eating program that I could follow for the

rest of my life. I am now 67, and I have not had a

heart attack yet. In the past I have had several

stress test and passed with flying colors. I continue

to practice medicine and have no intentions of

retiring but I have curtailed many of my unnecessary

commitments.

Are

> my programs

> potential disasters and somewhat unrealistic?

My answer to that is an emphatic yes. You are trying

to do too much. When setting up an exercise program

you need to ask yourself several things.

Do I enjoy what I am doing or am I doing because

someone told me that I should do this.

Is it reasonable for me to expect to be able to do

this for the next 20-30 years.

Your exercise program should be doing activities that

you actually enjoy and look forward to. You are not a

competitive athlete so you do not have train as if you

were one.

If you get tired of one type of exercise try something

else. Sometimes a simple walk or hike in woods is

what you need and other times a hard workout with lots

of sweat is what you need. in any event the exercise

should allow you to relieve the stress of every day

work and not add to your stress.

I like to go for bike rides when the weather permits,

I have done cross country skiing (not very good at it

but it gets me out in the winter when we have enough

snow) I walk to work almost every day, I have taken

up ocean kayak fishing. Sometimes I go to the local

Ymca and work on the weights or machines. For a while

I had taken up rowing (until I became obsessed and

burned my self out).

In other words exercise but tone down the intensity

and volume to a level that is tolerable and

sustainable for the rest of your life. As we get

older we break down faster and it takes longer to

recover. The injuries you have described are most

likely due to overuse. Too much change in too short a

time.

Rome was not built in a day and you cannot remake your

body in a few months. You are trying to make up in a

short time for years of neglecting your health.

The same goes for your diet. Make dietary changes

that are sensible and that you know you will be able

to follow for the next 20-30 years.

I like to tell my patients that all foods are

intrinsically good but there is such a thing as too

much of a good thing. You can eat and follow an

enjoyable diet and still be healthy. When setting an

eating plan avoid the extremes.

At

> age 50, I know I

> have limitations, but according to my trainer, I am

> in better shape

> than 3/4 of the men my age. I regularly do barbell

> curls with 60

> pounds, in sets of 50. The mind element of this has

> assumed

> overpowering proportions and I am desparate to make

> a turnaround.

Your obsessive , compulsive type A personality is

getting in the way of enjoying what you do. Try to

become a type A- or B+ person. Try some yoga or

meditation as well.

> The ironic part of this is that I am surrounded by

> fitness

> professionals (I own a gym) but my pride and

> personality prevent me

> from reaching out to them. If anybody has been

> through something

> like this, I would very much like to know about it.

>

> Thank you,

>

> Varados

> Mod: Please don't forget to sign your posts with

> your city and country of residence - thanks]

Good luck and take one day at a time and enjoy each

day as it comes along. If you do that tomorrow will

take care of itself.

Ralph Giarnella MD

Southington Ct USA