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You’ve probably heard the mantra: “Get fit! Go hard! Transform your body!” And that’s a good thing. Exercise is one of the best “medicines” we have. But here’s the catch: jumping into a heavy workout regime out of the blue — what you might call “sudden fitness” — can actually backfire. As a practising physician, I’ve seen more than one person get injured, fatigued or even land in hospital simply because they didn’t pace themselves.

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The upside of exercise – and the flip side

There’s no doubt: regular physical activity reduces risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and many other chronic conditions. For example, a large meta-analysis found that people with high levels of activity had about half the risk of sudden cardiac death compared to those almost inactive.

But—and this is important—intense new exercise in someone who hasn’t built up to it can trigger problems. Studies show that vigorous activity, particularly in unfit individuals, can acutely increase the risk of cardiovascular events like arrhythmias or heart attacks.

What goes on in your body, actually?

When you abruptly increase your workout intensity, your muscles, joints, heart, and blood vessels are all thrown into a state of shock.

• To begin with, your muscles can experience microscopic tears that result in pain and the development of overuse injuries.
• Your heart is the one that has to work extra hard to pump the blood. So, if you happen to have some hidden plaque or a heart condition that has not been diagnosed, this sudden hard work of the heart will be the reason it gets exposed.
• Besides that, chronic inflammation may develop due to over-training and insufficient recovery. In such cases, the levels of cortisol (stress hormone) become elevated, the immune system gets suppressed and insulin resistance may develop.
• If you would put it simply, the human body is a very tough machine that can handle a lot, however, it still has its boundaries. Going past those boundaries unprepared is like putting yourself in the condition of getting hurt, sick, or having the consequences that last for a long time.

Real risks you should be aware of

• For instance, if you’re an inactive person and suddenly start doing a very intense exercise routine, there is a higher probability that you will experience acute problems. As an illustration, the rate of sudden cardiac death related to exercise is between 0.31 and 2.1 per 100,000 people per year.
• You may experience a rise in musculoskeletal injuries if you decide to increase your workout intensity quickly without a proper guide especially in a gym environment.
• The condition of overdoing the training is at times hidden under the phrase, “I’m just sore from working out,” and, however, over weeks it becomes fatigue, poor sleep, mood swings, and performance loss.

The smarter way to get fit

Here are some ideas that will allow you to keep your fitness goal over time instead of just a one-time crash course:

1. Do not hurry. Gradually increase your light workouts (20-30 minutes 3 times a week). The body through the skin also needs time to get used to.

2. You should always warm-up and cool down.Very few people warming up and cooling down and it is a simple thing. The warm-up is actually a preparation of the body for the main workout, it gets the joints more flexible, and it warms the muscles.

3. Change your workout routine. Switch cardio, strength, and flexibility exercises.Different workouts will help you to avoid the overuse of a particular muscle group and keep you balanced.

4. Pay attention to your body. Are you feeling extremely tired? Do you get more muscle soreness than usual after a workout? Is your heart rate changing at rest? These are signs of caution.

5. Recovery should be included in your plan. Similarly to workout days, good sleep and hydration, nutrition, and taking days off from training are equally important.

6. In case you are not sure, “checking with your doctor” is the best option. That applies particularly if you have heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, or if you are over 40 and haven’t exercised for quite some time.

7. Use the “talk test” to determine your intensity. If during your workout you can say a few sentences, then you are probably in the moderate zone. If you can only whisper, then you are most likely going too hard.

Building fitness that lasts

If you compare fitness to building a house, you definitely wouldn't skip the foundation and just throw the walls up overnight, would you? The rule is the same for your body. Fast and intense workout may look attractive, but the truth is bodybuilders, marathoners and fitness models have been training slowly for years.

Going at a steady pace is better than rapid, short bursts of progress. Take care of your body, keep up the work and remember — fitness is not about overloading for a week; it's about being able to move for a whole life.

— by Dr. Swaroop Gopal, Group Director, Aster International Institute of Neurosciences and Spine Care, Aster Whitefield Hospital.