Silent Strain of Over-Exercising

Exercise is medicine, but the right dose matters: Overtraining without awareness of hidden heart conditions can trigger serious complications, warn experts

- VENNAPUSALA RAMYA

YMS are crowded, marathon sign-ups are rising, and fitness has become a lifestyle badge these days, but doctors caution that overburdening the body—whether through excessive cardio, heavy lifting, or even long-distance running—can increase the risk of exercise-induced heart problems.

"Heart attacks, once considered a problem mainly for those above 60, are now increasingly being reported among younger people, especially after the Covid pandemic," says Dr Sudhir Kumar, consultant neurologist, Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills. He adds, "What many don't realize is that the heart actually sends out warning signals nearly 12 years in advance. Unfortunately, these symptoms are often dismissed as normal aging or fatigue."

For earlier generations, daily life itself was exercise—walking long distances, cycling, hand-washing clothes, grinding grains, and living in joint families, an experience that made for less stress. As a result, heart problems were rare and appeared only later in life.