Best Exercises that Help Prevent PVC’s
Can exercise, rather than drugs, be beneficial for premature ventricular contractions?
Or is it the other way around—that some kinds of exercise can increase PVC’s?
Sedentary Men with PVCs Benefit from Exercise
• 196 sedentary middle-aged men who had PVCs were put on an exercise program for 18 months.
• For the men who adhered well to the regimen, the work threshold for the trigger of PVCs increased (meaning, a higher level of exercise was necessary to bring out the PVCs when compared to before the exercise program was implemented).
• Frequency of PVCs was reduced. (American Journal of Cardiology, 4/73, vol 31, issue 4)
So for starters, if you’re a middle-aged sedentary man who gets premature ventricular contractions, exercise will likely reduce these.
If light to medium exertion brings on PVCs (i.e., carrying a crate of books up the stairs), then as you become more conditioned from structured exercise, the amount of exertion needed to bring on PVCs will get higher.
Is there a “best” exercise for someone who has PVCs?
NOT getting enough exercise can trigger a premature ventricular contraction.
If you’ve been having PVCs, you’ll want to discuss marathon-based activity with a cardiologist to see if that’s safe.
Your doctor will want to give you a cardiac workup. You may be told to scale back.
However, it’s safe to make an effort to get in at least 8,000 steps, even 10,000, every day.
In addition, half an hour of medium exertion or 15 minutes of high intensity are safe as well (again, see a cardiologist just to be sure).
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It seems intuitive that rhythmic aerobic exercise (hiking, incline walking, a step class, pedaling, running, sports like tennis) would be among the best exercises for premature ventricular contractions — without going overboard to the degree of a marathon.
For overall heart health, this kind of exercise is strongly recommended by many cardiologists, the American Heart Association and the American Council on Exercise.
Exercise for EVERYONE with PVC’s
“In general, people should get a healthy amount of exercise,” says Daniel P. Morin, MD, FACC, formerly Director of both Electrophysiology Research and Cardiovascular Research for Ochsner Health System, and currently Professor of Medicine and Cardiology at University of California, San Francisco.
“Some types of PVC’s may be increased during exercise, as some PVC’s only occur during a certain range of background heart rate,” explains Dr. Morin.
“For the same reason, other PVC’s may disappear during exercise. Exercise by itself is rarely the direct cause of PVCs.”
If you’re normally sedentary, but exercise brings on PVCs, see a cardiologist for an assessment and individualized recommendations.
On the other hand, if you have PVCs at rest, and notice that they don’t occur when you exercise, that’s good news.
A third possibility is that you have premature ventricular contractions at rest, but they increase with exercise. Again, it’s best to see a cardiologist.
The type of cardiologist you should see is an electrophysiologist.
This type specializes in the electrical activity of the heart, rather than the plumbing (arteries). This is a very important distinction.
Additional Triggers
• PVCs that seem to be triggered by exercise alone may actually be getting a boost from pre-exercise caffeine intake.
Shutterstock/NOBUHIRO ASADA
• Another potential trigger is anxiety over the idea that exercising may cause PVCs!
• Keep track — though not with a worried mindset — of your pulse when you’re performing moderate-level duties of day-to-day living such as hauling around heavy garbage, carrying toddlers up a flight of stairs, playing with the kids in the backyard, chasing around the dog, etc.
Usually when performing these tasks you’re not thinking of your heart rate.
Make a point of remembering to ask yourself, AFTER you’ve performed these tasks, “Did I have PVCs during any of that?”
There is no single specific exercise (e.g., walking lunges, certain yoga poses, leg pressing, dumbbell squats, Zumba) that’s been proven to be best for PVCs.
But the heart and overall body just love consistent aerobic and strength training.
Dr. Morin’s clinical interests are in device therapy for cardiac dysfunction (including cardiac resynchronization therapy) and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias with medical therapy and/or catheter ablation.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Doidam 10—
Sources
heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/PhysicalActivity/FitnessBasics/American-Heart-Association-Recommendations-for-Physical-Activity-in-Adults_UCM_307976_Article.jsp#.WHValVMrLxM
acefitness.org/about-ace/press-room/300/american-council-on-exercise-recommends-60-minutes
Drjohnday.com
Awakening from Sleep with a Racing Heart: Causes, Solutions
If a racing heart is waking you from sleep, this can be even scarier than PVCs.
When you’re sleeping, your body is at its lowest energy needs, so why would your heart suddenly start racing? (more…)
Twitching Muscle After Working Out: Early Sign of Disease?
Post-workout fatigue or soreness is normal, but what does it mean when a muscle starts twitching–the muscle you exercised in that workout? (more…)
Will Exercise Lower the Risk of Colon Cancer?
The type of exercise that will lower the risk of this disease isn’t strenuous at all.
But exercising now to lower your risk of colon cancer, reports a study.
The correlation between exercise and colon cancer is substantial, according to study results from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine, and Harvard University:
Study subjects who exercised the most had a 24 percent lower chance of getting colon cancer, than people who exercised the least.
What’s particularly compelling about this study is that the link between this disease and exercise was demonstrated in spite of how the exercise was measured in this study, says Kathleen Y. Wolin, Sc.D., lead author of the study, which was reported in British Journal of Cancer (2009).
Even if you’re young, lowering the risk of colon cancer is yet one more reason to start exercising, and if you already are, to stick with it.
About 10 percent of people with this disease are diagnosed when they are younger than 50.
The Washington U. study (which analyzed studies dating back to 1984 on the link between exercise and colon cancer risk) suggests that there’d be 24,000 fewer newly diagnosed cases of this illness per year in the U.S. – if people would just get moving more.
The “exercise” that’s cited in these findings includes on-the-job physical activity (including walking a lot on the job), as well as recreational exercise (walking, bicycling, swimming), and of course, more structured exercise such as gym workouts or fitness classes.
If you’re having difficulty sticking to an exercise regimen, start thinking in terms of cutting the risk of colon cancer.
Sedentary people are more likely to get colon cancer than are active people.
Activity should also be more than just the walking you do on the job or any housework or yardwork that you do.
Structured exercise (aerobic and resistance) are very important for lowering the risk of colon cancer.
Guidelines for Those of Any Age Who Are New to Structured Exercise
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1 Do both aerobic and strength training workouts, but not on the same day.
2 If you use a treadmill, do not hold on. This is unnatural and can lead to repetitive stress injuries and loss of balance. Use a slow pace in the beginning.
3 Focus on “big” multi-joint exercises when it comes to weight machines or free weights. These would be leg, back, chest and shoulder exercises. Isolation exercises like curling dumbbells or side raises with dumbbells should make up a small percentage of your overall weightlifting regimen.
4 Make sure you’re using good form. If you’re not sure, have a personal trainer evaluate you.
5 If you’re having trouble staying motivated, remind yourself that active people have a lower risk of colon cancer.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained clients of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
Source: sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090211193822.htm
Top image: Freepik
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Twitching Muscles from Squatting: Causes & How to Prevent
Are you annoyed, curious or scared because squatting has caused twitching muscles?
There’s a reason why the motion of squatting can trigger a muscle to twitch.
So what kind of squatting are we talking about? It can vary.
• Squatting in the garden
• Squatting around the house to pick things up
• Squatting at the gym — with a barbell across your back; holding kettlebells at shoulder level; deep repetitive body-weight squats or those with weights.
Shutterstock/Pressmaster
The squatting that most likely will cause muscle twitching is the kind done for exercise, and especially if it’s done intensely.
There is nothing inherent about squatting, vs. other leg exercises, that will more likely cause twitching muscles than other movements such as the leg press, hamstring curl, lunge or leg extension.
Squats engage the glutes, quadriceps and hamstring muscles. These are big, strong muscles that are designed to support a lot of resistance.
• Back squatting a 225 pound barbell
• Deep squatting while holding a 30 pound kettlebell in each hand at shoulder level, then pressing the weights overhead upon rising from the squat—12 repetitions.
• 25 to 50 deep squats while standing on the flat side of a BOSU board.
• Jump squats: squatting to at least parallel, then exploding upward into a jump off the floor, for 12 reps.
• And so many more squat-based movements like lunge jumps, box jumps and weighted walking lunges.
Shutterstock/Undrey
Any kind of intense squatting exercise is excellent for the lower body and core, and is one of the best calorie burners and fitness builders out there.
Along the way there may be some twitching muscles (legs, glutes) right after, or a short time after, the squatting routine.
The twitching may last for a few hours. It may carry over into the next day. This is nothing to worry about.
Why does squatting cause muscle twitching?
• Quite simply, you hammered your muscle fibers.
• They are buzzed and very fatigued.
• The twitching may be caused by a shortage of valuable minerals, especially magnesium.
Magnesium Post-Workout for Twitching Muscles
“Magnesium should be taken daily in divided doses,” says Carolyn Dean, MD, ND – Medical Advisory Board Member, Nutritional Magnesium Association.
“Magnesium is known as the anti-stress mineral and is one of the key electrolytes along with sodium and potassium that needs to be replenished post-workout,” explains Dr. Dean.
“Magnesium relaxes muscles while calcium contracts muscles, so a balance of both of these minerals on a one to one ratio is important for proper muscle function and for recovery.”
Muscles that are tense and not relaxed are more prone to twitching, even if you have not done any recent squatting workouts.
Dr. Dean continues, “Not all forms of magnesium are easily absorbed by the body. Magnesium citrate powder is a highly absorbable form that mixes in water and should be sipped regularly as a post-workout recovery drink.”
It is tasteless and very easy to drink. It adds a very mild fizz to whatever beverage you add it to.
“Magnesium is an anti-inflammatory, so it will help with general pain relief along with heat/cold patches, ice packs, etc.
“When people sweat, they lose sodium and potassium. What most people do not know is that magnesium is also lost through the sweat glands.”
Muscle twitching that’s generated from your squat workout or even a lot of squatting around the house is a temporary, benign phenomenon. It is nothing to worry about!
Heck, you just finished a grueling workout; that suggests you’re healthy!
