9 Signs You Should Stop Exercising Immediately
Love your heart.
By now, surely everyone knows that exercise is good for the heart. “Regular, moderate exercise helps the heart by modifying the risk factors known to cause heart disease,” says Dr. Jeff Tyler, an interventional and structural cardiologist with Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Orange County, California.
Exercise:
Lowers cholesterol.
Reduces blood pressure.
Improves blood sugar.
Decreases inflammation.
As New York-based personal trainer Carlos Torres explains it: “Your heart is like your body’s battery, and exercise increases your battery life and output. That’s because exercise trains your heart to handle more stress and it trains your heart to move blood from your heart to other organs more easily. Your heart learns to pull more oxygen from your blood giving you more energy throughout the day.”
But, there are times when exercise can actually threaten the health of the heart.
Would you know the signs it’s time to stop exercising immediately and head straight to the hospital?
1. You haven’t consulted your doctor.
If you’re at risk for heart disease, it’s important that you talk to your doctor before beginning an exercise plan, Drezner says. For example, your doctor may provide specific guidelines so you can exercise safely after a heart attack.
Risk factors for heart disease include:
- Hypertension.
- High cholesterol.
- Diabetes.
- A history of smoking.
- A family history of heart disease, heart attack or sudden death from a heart problem.
- All of the above.
Young athletes should be screened for heart conditions, too. “The worst tragedy of all is sudden death on the playing field,” says Drezner, who focuses on the prevention of sudden cardiac death in young athletes.
Tyler notes that most of his patients don’t need additional testing prior to starting an exercise regimen, but “those with known heart disease or risk factors for heart disease such as a diabetes or kidney disease often benefit from a more comprehensive medical evaluation to ensure they’re safe to begin exercising.”
He adds that “anyone experiencing concerning symptoms such as chest pressure or pain, unusual fatigue, shortness of breath, palpitations or dizziness should talk with their doctor before starting an exercise routine.”
2. You go from zero to 100.
Ironically, out-of-shape people who can benefit most from exercise are also at higher risk for sudden heart problems while working out. That’s why it’s important to “pace yourself, don’t do too much too soon and make sure you give your body time to rest between workouts,” says Dr. Martha Gulati, editor-in-chief of CardioSmart, the American College of Cardiology’s patient education initiative.
“If you get yourself caught up in a situation where you’re doing too much too quickly, that’s another reason why you should take a step back and think about what you’re doing,” says Dr. Mark Conroy, an emergency medicine and sports medicine physician with the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. “Anytime you’re starting to exercise or reintroducing activities, gradually returning is a much better situation than just jumping headfirst into an activity.”
3. Your heart rate doesn’t come down with rest.
Torres says it’s important to “pay attention to your heart rate” throughout your workout to keep tabs on whether it’s tracking with the effort you’re putting in. “We exercise to raise our heart rate, of course, but it should start to come down during rest periods. If your heart rate is staying at a high rate or beating out of rhythm, it’s time to stop.”
4. You experience chest pain.
“Chest pain is never normal or expected,” says Gulati, also division chief of cardiology at University of Arizona College of Medicine, who says that, in rare cases, exercise can cause a heart attack. If you feel chest pain or pressure – especially alongside nausea, vomiting, dizziness, shortness of breath or extreme sweating – stop working out immediately and call 911, Gulati advises.
5. You’re suddenly short on breath.
If your breath doesn’t quicken when you exercise, you’re probably not working hard enough. But there’s a difference between shortness of breath due to exercise and shortness of breath due to a potential heart attack, heart failure, exercise-induced asthma or another condition.
“If there is an activity or level that you could do with ease and suddenly you get winded … stop exercising and see your doctor,” Gulati says.
6. You feel dizzy.
Most likely, you’ve pushed yourself too hard or didn’t eat or drink enough before your workout. But if stopping for water or a snack doesn’t help – or if the lightheadedness is accompanied by profuse sweating, confusion or even fainting – you might need emergency attention. These symptoms could be a sign of dehydration, diabetes, a blood pressure problem or possibly a nervous system problem. Dizziness could also signal a heart valve problem, Gulati says.
“No workout should ever make you feel dizzy or lightheaded,” Torres says. “It’s a for-sure sign that something isn’t right, whether you’re doing too much or aren’t hydrated enough.”
7. Your legs cramp.
Cramps seem innocent enough, but they shouldn’t be ignored. Leg cramps during exercise could signal intermittent claudication, or blockage of your leg’s main artery, and warrant at least a talk with your doctor.
Cramps can also occur in the arms, and no matter where they occur, “if you’re cramping, that’s a reason to stop, that’s not necessarily going to always be related to the heart,” Conroy says.
Though the exact reason why cramps occur isn’t fully understood, they’re thought to be related to dehydration or electrolyte imbalances. “I think it’s fairly safe to say the number one reason why people are going to start cramping is dehydration,” he says. Low potassium levels can also be a culprit.
Dehydration can be a big issue for the whole body, so especially if you’re “out in the heat and you feel like your legs are cramping up, it’s not a time to push through. You need to stop what you’re doing.”
To relieve cramps, Conroy recommends “cooling it down.” He suggests wrapping a damp towel that’s been in the freezer or refrigerator around the affected area or apply an ice pack. He also recommends massaging the cramped muscle while you stretch it.
8. Your heartbeat is wacky.
If you have atrial fibrillation, which is an irregular heartbeat, or another heart rhythm disorder, it’s important to pay attention to your heart beat and seek emergency care when symptoms occur. Such conditions can feel like fluttering or thumping in the chest and require medical attention.
9. Your sweat levels suddenly increase.
If you notice a “large increase in sweat when doing a workout that usually wouldn’t cause that amount,” that could be a sign of trouble, Torres says. “Sweat is our way of cooling off the body and when the body is stressed, it will overcompensate.”
So, if you can’t explain the increased sweat output by weather conditions, it’s best to take a break and determine if something serious is at play.