Exercise safety query

I just turned 40, am still overweight, but no longer obese. I smoke, but
hope to quit this year, seeing doctor about plan.

I used to be very active till late 20's, then started again moderate
exercise in mid-late 30's.

I recently read some articles about local men here middle-aged dying of
heart attacks while playing ice hockey. Though I don't play hockey, I
would like to do more team sports, including perhaps ball hockey,
handball, and do more tennis, squash, biking, and train for
half-marathon slowly.

My question is should I consult a doctor before I undertake a more
vigorous ftiness regimen, or would just taking it slow, easy and
progressively be enough to be safe ?

Thanks for any advice.

On Sat, 09 Apr 2005 10:11:49 -0400, PB wrote:

I just turned 40, am still overweight, but no longer obese. I smoke, but
hope to quit this year, seeing doctor about plan.

I used to be very active till late 20's, then started again moderate
exercise in mid-late 30's.

I recently read some articles about local men here middle-aged dying of
heart attacks while playing ice hockey. Though I don't play hockey, I
would like to do more team sports, including perhaps ball hockey,
handball, and do more tennis, squash, biking, and train for
half-marathon slowly.

My question is should I consult a doctor before I undertake a more
vigorous ftiness regimen, or would just taking it slow, easy and
progressively be enough to be safe ?

Thanks for any advice.

Well, I'm sure the medical profession would advise seeing your doctor
first -- and probably anyone else who was afraid of being sued if
something happened to you :-). But I've gone from being significantly
obese and completely inactive to being able to run for 10K and
competing in Olympic weightlifting, all without medical advice. (And
I'm almost 57 -- female, by the way.) My advice to a friend in your
situation would be to just take it progressively and listen to your
body. It's the weekend warriors who have problems, not those who
progress graduall from unfit to fit. If you start with what feels
comfortable and gradually challenge your body a little more each week,
you'll get there. (This probably means not getting involved in a team
sport until you've done some individual work with biking, walking, and
running.)

Chris
262/130s/130s
started dieting July 2002, maintaining since June 2004

On Sat, 09 Apr 2005 10:11:49 -0400, PB wrote:

I just turned 40, am still overweight, but no longer obese. I smoke, but
hope to quit this year, seeing doctor about plan.

I used to be very active till late 20's, then started again moderate
exercise in mid-late 30's.

I recently read some articles about local men here middle-aged dying of
heart attacks while playing ice hockey. Though I don't play hockey, I
would like to do more team sports, including perhaps ball hockey,
handball, and do more tennis, squash, biking, and train for
half-marathon slowly.

My question is should I consult a doctor before I undertake a more
vigorous ftiness regimen, or would just taking it slow, easy and
progressively be enough to be safe ?

Thanks for any advice.
Slow and easy is the way to go. Its also good to see your doctor to
get a read on such things as blood pressure and blood chemistry. I
have known of a few guys in my age group and younger who suffered
heart attacks while playing hockey. The competitive nature of hockey
players can tend to make someone push himself past a safe level. To
play sports involving short intense bursts of activity can be very
dangerous unless you build a good aerobic base. Training for a half
marathon sounds like a good way to go about that.
Hope to see you at the rink next winter....

Rob

"PB" wrote in message
...
I just turned 40, am still overweight, but no longer obese. I smoke, but
hope to quit this year, seeing doctor about plan.

I used to be very active till late 20's, then started again moderate
exercise in mid-late 30's.

I recently read some articles about local men here middle-aged dying of
heart attacks while playing ice hockey. Though I don't play hockey, I
would like to do more team sports, including perhaps ball hockey,
handball, and do more tennis, squash, biking, and train for half-marathon
slowly.

My question is should I consult a doctor before I undertake a more
vigorous ftiness regimen, or would just taking it slow, easy and
progressively be enough to be safe ?

Thanks for any advice.

Take it slow, easy, progressive.

"PB" wrote in message
...
I just turned 40, am still overweight, but no longer obese. I smoke, but
hope to quit this year, seeing doctor about plan.

My question is should I consult a doctor before I undertake a more
vigorous ftiness regimen, or would just taking it slow, easy and
progressively be enough to be safe ?

Thanks for any advice.

If you are seeing your doctor about a smoking cessation plan you may as well
talk to them about beginning an exercise program. At 40, you should probably
request a prostate exam as well.

Matthew

"Chris Braun" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 09 Apr 2005 10:11:49 -0400, PB wrote:

(This probably means not getting involved in a team
sport until you've done some individual work with biking, walking, and
running.)

The OP would also do well to also add some general strength training and
perhaps some agility drills to this basic program. Another thing, it is
important to warm up before hockey, squash, tennis, etc. starting with slow
movement of the major joints involved and getting progressively faster.

Matthew

I just turned 40, am still overweight, but no longer obese. I smoke, but
hope to quit this year, seeing doctor about plan.

I used to be very active till late 20's, then started again moderate
exercise in mid-late 30's.

I recently read some articles about local men here middle-aged dying of
heart attacks while playing ice hockey. Though I don't play hockey, I
would like to do more team sports, including perhaps ball hockey,
handball, and do more tennis, squash, biking, and train for
half-marathon slowly.

My question is should I consult a doctor before I undertake a more
vigorous ftiness regimen, or would just taking it slow, easy and
progressively be enough to be safe ?

If you don't over-do it, and you don't have a family history of
problems, you'll probably be OK. That sounds obvious... but really,
that's why a lot of these people have heart attacks.

It's not because they start out slow and gradually increase their
vigor, careful not to overdo it - it's usually because they go from
doing very little, to all of a sudden thinking they are Superman (snow
shoveling, basketball, hockey...)

But... since you just turned 40 why not go for a full work-up anyways?
Now is the perfect time for a complete physical, to do a full set of
blood-work tests, scope, stress test, etc.

Happy belated birthday!

"PB" wrote in message
...

My question is should I consult a doctor before I undertake a more
vigorous ftiness regimen, or would just taking it slow, easy and
progressively be enough to be safe ?

Thanks for any advice.

Yes - consult a doc just to get a check over on your plans. Any new exercise
should be started slowly, gently and gradually built upon at a rate you can
comfortably cope with and most importantly - *enjoy*. If you don't enjoy it,
you won't keep at it.

Cheers, helen s

I'm firmly in the "see your doc" crowd. Heart disease and other
potentially serious conditions don't always have obvious symptoms.
What harm could come from a complete physical, especially when you're
embarking on a new way of living?

Like my inspiration on this newsgroup, Chris Braun, I'm a
50-something woman who has lost a great deal of weight. I went from
barely being able to walk two city blocks to my current exercise
routine of 60 to 90 minutes most days of the week. During this time, I
have had, and continue to have, fairly intensive medical supervision. I
have a family history of heart disease, hypertension (now controlled
with meds), elevated cholesterol (now controlled with meds) and
diabetes (now controlled with diet and exercise).

But one can't compare the health of two nonsmoking women to that of a
male smoker. So I urge you to err on the side of caution, tell your doc
your plans and proceed from there.

I look forward to reading about your progress.

As always, YMMV.

Kasey
365/213/190