A Heartfelt Tale - Exercising Too Much?
Beat.
Beat.
Beat.
All day long.
Beat.
Beat.
Beat.
You keep me going, thank you for that heart.
Most of us never notice our hearts, and if we do it's usually because something has gone wrong.
But take a moment right now - and concentrate on your heart beat.
Put your hand on your chest, relax your breathing, and feel your heart pump.
I can't think of many situations more incredibly curious than listening to one's own heart beat.
Truly listening.
It's poetic in one regard, but tremendously unnerving at the same time.
As to the former, people equate their capacity to love, the memories they hold and dozens of other emotions into this organ.
And the latter; physically this organ is keeping each of us alive.
What I would give to have seen this first curios discovery thousands of years ago, as prehistoric man sat hunched over in a cave.
The strange thoughts that person must have had, completely unable to put an image or function to the rhythm inside of his or her chest.
But somehow knowing instinctively, that this was something that shouldn't be stopped.
Now days we are taught from a young age about our bodies.
We don't have to discover these things like our ancestors had to.
So we now from when we are little we know how important our hearts, and their health, really is.
Sadly, it doesn't seem to stop us from trying to stop it.
Obesity is at a worldwide high point, sedentary lifestyles rule the majority of households and as previously said - we only notice a heart problem when it presents itself rather than preventing them in the first place.
But sometimes even that seems like only one side of the "heartfelt" story.
I had a strange experience when I was younger in regards to this.
I grew up healthy, incredibly healthy.
A large thank you directed toward my mother for the healthy food we always had in and around the house for my brother and I as growing boys.
I also played sport five times a week, and still went to the beach on the weekend for a swim or a game of rugby.
Never a health issue, particularly the heart, anywhere near my body or my thoughts.
And then it all went pear-shaped one day.
When I was 19, I was training even more.
Rowing, gym, eating six meals a day and drinking my body weight in water.
A little thing like discomfort in my chest one day while running wasn't going to stop me.
I don't know exactly what happened but I was relaxing watching television after my workout, and the next moment my chest exploded.
That's the best way to describe it really, as all I felt was agony in and around my heart.
Like someone had just punched their hand into my body, and was slowly crushing my heart.
All I remember doing is coughing.
I had read a few months before that that's something that can help people who are experiencing a heart attack, keep the muscle pumping.
So I coughed and I coughed until I found my parents and explained, between wincing and coughing, that my heart was exploding.
By the time we got to the hospital, the pain had subsided but I felt weak - like I had just played three games of rugby straight after each other.
I hadn't had a heart attack.
What had happened was I had gotten a virus, and because I was so active, not noticed that it was making my heart have to work overtime.
The virus had effectively weakened the muscle and it had to pump more frequently, to get oxygen around my body.
To put that in perspective, when I went for an EKG a few days later, my resting heart rate was 120.
That's a whopping 40 more than a poor health teenager's heart rate.
It was the first time my body had ever shown me what the results could be if it wasn't treated properly, and with respect.
In this case, I was trying to do too much, without, and apologies for the cliché, listening to my heart.
It was also the first time I didn't envy the cave man, because I didn't know what was going on and rather than be astounded by that, it was terrifying.
Long story short, I received treatment at my local hospital that took care of the virus and I still have a small amount of scar tissue that remains on one side of a ventricle chamber.
The reason all this is relevant I believe, is looking after your heart is a two-sided coin, potentially even a sword.
While there are numerous negative health issues that can harm the muscle, you can also threaten it by doing simply not listening to your body.
I learnt that the hard way, like so many others, and have started "listening" to my body so much more as a result.
When I felt the discomfort in my chest, I saw it as a challenge, something to overcome, not take note of.
I'm back to training since, but I realize how important monitoring health in general is too.
That isn't too say I recommend reacting to every ache and twinge people might experience, you would spend a lot of time stressing and visiting you physician, but learn to know your body.
When too much is enough, and when pushing through the wall is exactly what the doctor ordered.
When the caveman listens, but not too closely it stops him from venturing from his cave.
Beat.
Beat.
Beat.
All day long.
Beat.
Beat.
Beat.
Thank you heart, for getting me through each day.
Beat.
Beat.
All day long.
Beat.
Beat.
Beat.
You keep me going, thank you for that heart.
Most of us never notice our hearts, and if we do it's usually because something has gone wrong.
But take a moment right now - and concentrate on your heart beat.
Put your hand on your chest, relax your breathing, and feel your heart pump.
I can't think of many situations more incredibly curious than listening to one's own heart beat.
Truly listening.
It's poetic in one regard, but tremendously unnerving at the same time.
As to the former, people equate their capacity to love, the memories they hold and dozens of other emotions into this organ.
And the latter; physically this organ is keeping each of us alive.
What I would give to have seen this first curios discovery thousands of years ago, as prehistoric man sat hunched over in a cave.
The strange thoughts that person must have had, completely unable to put an image or function to the rhythm inside of his or her chest.
But somehow knowing instinctively, that this was something that shouldn't be stopped.
Now days we are taught from a young age about our bodies.
We don't have to discover these things like our ancestors had to.
So we now from when we are little we know how important our hearts, and their health, really is.
Sadly, it doesn't seem to stop us from trying to stop it.
Obesity is at a worldwide high point, sedentary lifestyles rule the majority of households and as previously said - we only notice a heart problem when it presents itself rather than preventing them in the first place.
But sometimes even that seems like only one side of the "heartfelt" story.
I had a strange experience when I was younger in regards to this.
I grew up healthy, incredibly healthy.
A large thank you directed toward my mother for the healthy food we always had in and around the house for my brother and I as growing boys.
I also played sport five times a week, and still went to the beach on the weekend for a swim or a game of rugby.
Never a health issue, particularly the heart, anywhere near my body or my thoughts.
And then it all went pear-shaped one day.
When I was 19, I was training even more.
Rowing, gym, eating six meals a day and drinking my body weight in water.
A little thing like discomfort in my chest one day while running wasn't going to stop me.
I don't know exactly what happened but I was relaxing watching television after my workout, and the next moment my chest exploded.
That's the best way to describe it really, as all I felt was agony in and around my heart.
Like someone had just punched their hand into my body, and was slowly crushing my heart.
All I remember doing is coughing.
I had read a few months before that that's something that can help people who are experiencing a heart attack, keep the muscle pumping.
So I coughed and I coughed until I found my parents and explained, between wincing and coughing, that my heart was exploding.
By the time we got to the hospital, the pain had subsided but I felt weak - like I had just played three games of rugby straight after each other.
I hadn't had a heart attack.
What had happened was I had gotten a virus, and because I was so active, not noticed that it was making my heart have to work overtime.
The virus had effectively weakened the muscle and it had to pump more frequently, to get oxygen around my body.
To put that in perspective, when I went for an EKG a few days later, my resting heart rate was 120.
That's a whopping 40 more than a poor health teenager's heart rate.
It was the first time my body had ever shown me what the results could be if it wasn't treated properly, and with respect.
In this case, I was trying to do too much, without, and apologies for the cliché, listening to my heart.
It was also the first time I didn't envy the cave man, because I didn't know what was going on and rather than be astounded by that, it was terrifying.
Long story short, I received treatment at my local hospital that took care of the virus and I still have a small amount of scar tissue that remains on one side of a ventricle chamber.
The reason all this is relevant I believe, is looking after your heart is a two-sided coin, potentially even a sword.
While there are numerous negative health issues that can harm the muscle, you can also threaten it by doing simply not listening to your body.
I learnt that the hard way, like so many others, and have started "listening" to my body so much more as a result.
When I felt the discomfort in my chest, I saw it as a challenge, something to overcome, not take note of.
I'm back to training since, but I realize how important monitoring health in general is too.
That isn't too say I recommend reacting to every ache and twinge people might experience, you would spend a lot of time stressing and visiting you physician, but learn to know your body.
When too much is enough, and when pushing through the wall is exactly what the doctor ordered.
When the caveman listens, but not too closely it stops him from venturing from his cave.
Beat.
Beat.
Beat.
All day long.
Beat.
Beat.
Beat.
Thank you heart, for getting me through each day.
Source...