How to Make the Heart Strong

Endurance Exercise Training and the Heart – the Risk versus Benefits
Introduction
Endurance exercise training is still something of a controversial topic when it comes to assessing its risks vs. benefits on the heart. Some researchers argue that the so-called risks of endurance exercise training on the heart are poorly understood outcomes of tests, whose data is incorrectly interpreted (Kindermann & Scharhag, 2016). Others indicate that “prolonged exercise and exercise training can adversely affect cardiac function in some individuals” (Eijsvogels, Fernandez & Thompson, 2015, p. 99). As always, there is no hard and fast rule that applies to every body type. For most individuals endurance exercise training has a positive effect on the heart (Nummela, Hynynen, Kaikkonen & Rusko, 2016). However, for some people with certain body types, medical history, and family health history, endurance exercise training may pose certain risks for their heart health. So it is really a matter of understanding where one’s personal limitations are and not so much a matter of identifying certain types of physical exercise as risky in and of themselves. As Nummela et al. (2016) point out, it is essential that “in order to promote and maintain health and to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, all healthy adults need either moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity a minimum of 30 min on five days each week or vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity for a minimum of 20 min on three days each week” (p. 7). Heart health has, in other words, been shown to be supported by moderate and vigorous exercise, which means that exercise itself is a good thing for people to do regularly. The important factor to keep in mind is what type of exercise is best for the type of body and medical history an individual has.
Risks
The studies show that personalizing one’s exercise routine is important to maintaining good health (Nummela et al., 2016). That indicates that endurance exercise training is not going to be of benefit to everyone and that it will pose certain risks to some people. What are those risks? One of the main risks of prolonged exposure to endurance exercise training is the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (Eijsvogels et al., 2015). “Exercise-related cardiac events,” as Eijsvogels et al. (2015, p. 99), are health complications that result from the individual engaging in active exercise of the body. There are also other heart risks that can be associated with endurance exercise for some people, such as atrial fibrosis (Kindermann & Scharhag, 2016)—though in order for this to occur in humans as it does in rats over a period of time, the human would have to be exercising at an extremely high level for 10 years running without a break—and that is so unlikely to occur that it is not even considered a real threat. However, other acute effects on cardiovascular and other effects that can negatively impact a person’s health include “cardiac biomarkers, including ‘myocardial’ creatine kinase, cardiac troponins, and cardiac natriuretic peptides” (Eijsvogels et al., 2015, p. 99). Obviously, if one is exercising too much, myocardial creatine kinase can damage the heart and muscles because of the enzymes released. The same is true of cardiac troponins and natriuretic peptides. Some people’s bodies are going to be more susceptible to this kind of risk than others.
That this kind of damage can occur does not mean that it will occur. For some people, endurance exercise activity is very healthy for them and their bodies handle the activities very well without any negative side effects being caused. Professional athletes for example engage in endurance exercise training quite frequently and their bodies hold up for many years, allowing them to excel on the field in their chose profession. These types of athletes, however, have the advantage of working with some of the best professional trainers in the business and they receive close medical monitoring that allows them to know when they need to rest their bodies and when they can get back into their routine. For amateurs, there is not as much close attention paid to these details, so they are very much more at risk of injuring their hearts and muscles if they are not giving close attention to how their bodies are responding to the endurance exercise training that they are engaging in.
That is why in order for the risks of endurance exercise training to be mitigated, an individual should always consult with a medical professional before beginning in this type of activity to make sure it is a right fit for him or her. The individual should also take steps to understand what signs and symptoms to look out for when engaging in this type of activity and how to recognize warning signs that there may be a problem. A physical fitness professional will be able to help guide amateurs in this regard and using these people for their advice is a good way to help reduce the risk that endurance exercise training will adversely impact the heart.
Benefits
The benefits of endurance exercise training on the heart are that it disrupts the body’s homeostasis and gets blood flowing. Blood circulation helps the body to circulate oxygen to the organs and the brain and support cell development. If one is sedentary all the time, one’s body is not going to be in good shape—just like if a car sits in a garage for years and is never run: when one goes out to start it up, the car’s motor likely won’t turnover because of neglect. Everything requires maintenance and attention and a body is meant to be worked out in order to stay healthy. That means it requires exercise.
Endurance exercise training can be of particularly good use to a body as it helps to improve overall heart rate and heart health. The body and the heart can become like a well-regulated machine when conditioned to perform at a high level through the help of endurance exercise training (Nummela et al., 2016). After all, this is the kind of training that most professional athletes engage in when they are training to perform day in and day out against competitors on the field.
The main benefit of endurance exercise training on the heart is conditioning. The more conditioned the heart becomes through this type of exercise, the stronger it can withstand the pressures of exertion as the body is pushed to the max when competition is strong. For athletes competing regularly, endurance exercise training is considered a very necessary element by many trainers and athletes.
Conclusion
Endurance exercise training has its usefulness for people who are in a position that they want to condition their hearts and bodies to perform at a high level, athletically speaking. They must have their bodies in good shape before engaging in this type of exercise. It is not something that an amateur should attempt to do on his or her own. Professional athletes have the assistance of medical professionals there to advise them and monitor them so that they do not overdo it. This type of exercise is not going to be suited to every body type, and there are risks associated with this type of exercise for whose body type is not a good match. Medical history and condition of the body should both be considered before beginning and a physician’s guidance should be sought.
References
Eijsvogels, T. M., Fernandez, A. B., & Thompson, P. D. (2015). Are there deleterious
cardiac effects of acute and chronic endurance exercise?. Physiological Reviews, 96(1), 99-125.
Kindermann, W., & Scharhag, J. (2016). High-Level Endurance Exercise: Are All
Potential ‘Cons’ Justified?. Sports Medicine, 46(8), 1191.
Nummela, A., Hynynen, E., Kaikkonen, P., & Rusko, H. (2016). High-intensity
endurance training increases nocturnal heart rate variability in sedentary participants. Biology of Sport, 33(1), 7.