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: [email protected]

 

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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