UK - Stressed at work? Look out for your heart

LONDON - People who have highly demanding jobs and little freedom to make decisions are 23 per cent more likely to have a heart attack compared with their less stressed out colleagues, according to research published on Friday.

But lighting up a cigarette or remaining chained to your desk rather than getting out to do some exercise is far more damaging for your heart health, researchers said.

A study of nearly 200,000 people from seven European countries found around 3.4 per cent of heart attacks can be attributed to job strain - a significant proportion, but far less than the 36 per cent attributable to smoking and 12 per cent put down to lack of exercise.

For the study, which was published online in The Lancet medical journal, researchers analyzed job strain in employees who had no previous coronary heart disease (CHD).

Participants completed questionnaires about their job demands, workload, the level of time-pressure demands, and their freedom to make decisions.

"Our findings indicate that job strain is associated with a small, but consistent, increased risk of experiencing a first CHD event such as a heart attack," said Mika Kivimaki from University College London, who led the research.

Peter Weissberg, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said the findings confirmed that being under stress at work and being unable to change the situation could increase the risk of developing heart disease.

But he noted they also showed the negative effects of workplace strain are much smaller than the damage caused by smoking or lack of exercise.

"Though stresses at work may be unavoidable, how you deal with these pressures is important, and lighting up a cigarette is bad news for your heart," he said in an emailed comment.

"Eating a balanced diet, taking regular exercise and quitting smoking will more than offset any risk associated with your job."

Reuters

USA - When working out is too much of a good thing

NEW YORK - Constantly thinking about the next workout? Upset about missing a exercise class? Fitness experts say more is not always better and overworking a workout can sap strength and invite injury.

"We have fit people and deconditioned people who overdo it," said Geralyn Coopersmith, national director of the Equinox Fitness Training Institute.

"Exercise is like a drug, if you don't have enough, you get no benefits, if you have too much, you have problems," she said.

Shin splints, heel spurs, tendonitis are among the common overuse injuries that Coopersmith, who oversees the training of personal trainers for Equinox fitness centers, sees.

"Some days should be intense, some days not so intense," she said. "Exercise is a stressor. If it's too much, the body can break down."

Extreme fatigue, irritability, moodiness, an elevated resting heart rate, fever, and an inability to work your earlier level are among the signs that you've overdone it, she said.

California-based group fitness instructor Amy Dixon has broached the subject of overtraining with her clients, she said, but delicately, and only when they are ready to listen.

"I had a woman come in before my (indoor) cycling class," said Dixon, creator of the "Give Me 10" DVD series. "I'd see her on the treadmill for an hour, then she'd take my class, then after she would ride longer or go on the elliptical (trainer) for another 40 minutes."

Poke an exercise addiction, Dixon believes, and you'll often uncover another addiction.

"Maybe they're a binge eater, or they really party on the weekend," she said. "If you're working out morning and night, you're over-trained. Your body's getting beaten up."

For Dixon and her colleagues, overtraining is an occupational hazard.

"A lot of group fitness instructors and trainers fall into that category because it's our job," she said. "I know instructors who teach over 30 classes a week."

Connecticut-based exercise physiologist Tom Holland, who has coached people in everything from climbing mountains to running marathons, has actually dropped clients who wanted him to push them too hard.

"I have a lot of types that think they're Lance Armstrongs," said Holland, author of "Beat the Gym: Personal Trainer Secrets Without the Personal Trainer Price Tag," said, referring to the seven-time Tour de France winner.

He said a lot of his job involves telling clients what not to do.

"I try to keep them from getting hurt," he said. "I design programs on a case-by-case basis but there's always a rest day. When clients want to eliminate it I try to explain that you don't get healthier during the workouts, but during the rest days."

Jessica Matthews, an exercise physiologist with the American Council on Exercise, said she has referred several over-trained clients to psychologists.

"It's great to work with other professionals to help them (clients) recognize that they might have a problem," said Matthews, who is based in San Diego, California.

She said symptoms of overtraining can include constant headaches, sleeplessness and severe muscle soreness, as well as diminished performance.

"There are so many benefits to exercise, but if they're exercising excessively even the greatest benefits, like positive mood and better sleep, start to fall away," she said.

Coopersmith puts in another way: "We are a supersized society," she said, "but we shouldn't be supersizing exercise."

Reuters