If you want to fulfil your life ambitions as a human, never mind an athlete, you need to have a strong heart and cardiovascular system. As endurance athletes, we spend a lot of time improving the oxygen transport system (heart, lungs, blood, and blood vessels) to supply more O2 to the muscles so that we can go faster and longer. Sadly the heart is like any other machine and it occasionally ceases to function exactly as it should. Endurance athletes are not immune from heart problems (although perhaps we like to think we are).
In...
If you want to fulfil your life ambitions as a human, never mind an athlete, you need to have a strong heart and cardiovascular system. As endurance athletes, we spend a lot of time improving the oxygen transport system (heart, lungs, blood, and blood vessels) to supply more O2 to the muscles so that we can go faster and longer. Sadly the heart is like any other machine and it occasionally ceases to function exactly as it should. Endurance athletes are not immune from heart problems (although perhaps we like to think we are).
In today's call, I’m delighted to be chatting with Prof. Graham Stuart, a cardiologist who has a research interest in exercise and heart disease and has worked in Sports Cardiology for over 10 years. Prof. Stuart has an MSc in Sports and Exercise Medicine from the University of Exeter and is currently a Consultant Cardiologist in Bristol and has specialised in congenital heart disease and cardiac arrhythmias for close to 25 years. He is also Medical Director of Sports Cardiology UK and is a keen long-distance triathlete.
In this episode, the professor shares his wisdom on this subject and outlines how we can all make sure that we can take care of this most precious organ.
Topics covered include:
- How the heart works 101 - Prof Stuart explains what really happens during acute and chronic exercise
- Why regular exercise is a good thing but doesn’t guarantee immunity from heart problems
- Ageing, exercise, and the heart - when and why you should get a check-up
- Atrial flutters, atrial fibrillation, palpitations - what’s the difference, what causes them, should you be concerned?
- The real reason why some athletes die during endurance events and why you shouldn’t be worried
- Why females are less likely to have heart issues than males
- Why you should aim for an average of 8-10 hours of training each week and why full-time athletes can get away with more
- Stress, its impact on the heart, and why it's important to find time in your day to de-stress
- Everyday actions individuals can take to improve/maintain heart health
To follow Prof Stuart or find out more about his services:
Website. Http://sportscardiology.co.uk
Twitter: SportHeartDoc
E mail: info@sportscardiology.co.uk
Prof Stuart’s ResearchGate page with links to heart research papers
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alan-Stuart-4
If you want to find out more about heart checkups:
Cardiac Risk in the Young, London based, https://www.c-r-y.org.uk/screening/. ISEH, London based, https://www.iseh.co.uk/patients/consultants-and-clinicians/private
Bristol/Bath-based https://www.screenmyheart.co.uk/about.
Book Recommendations
If I went to a desert island I would take the Bible for spiritual sustenance.
If I wanted:
- confusion I would read, It's not about the bike by Lance Armstrong,
- encouragement I would take Fat Man to Green man: from Unfit to Ultramarathon by Ira Rainey
- cardiac advice I would take:
2020 ESC Guidelines on Sports Cardiology and Exercise in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease can be downloaded free HERE.
Some videos you might like to watch:
Global Cycling network: How safe is your heart? Https://youtu.be/L-ODB9zlywM
Talk on heart transplants: Https://transplantchats.com/podcast/therighttimefortransplant
Running and heart health with Amy Boalch @marathonmedic: Https://open.spotify.com/episode/4TPmsL4XjPMt970vObSSn8
Link to the Miles Frost foundation: https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/our-research/miles-frost-fund
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