big john

Statistically, more of us will succumb to heart disease than any other cause. We can try to mitigate the odds with our diet and behavior but we can't control genetics.
I smoked those damn cigarettes for 20 years and drank myself into an ulcer and have never had any control of my diet yet I think I'm ok for now. I think if there are no underlying heart issues than it's ok to push one's body which is why I still do the rides I do. I don't see the point of worrying about it, I worry more about getting flattened by some moron who's texting while driving.

terrymorse 

A few warning signs to watch out for while riding:

• feeling light-headed, dizzy, or fainting
• very fast racing heart beat
• chest pain or tightness

These are signs that something could be very wrong with your heart. Get it checked out.

Flip Flop Rider

will go back and read the responses but to answer the OP, yes I think about quite a bit and even slow down sometimes (57)

MoAlpha

A pretty definitive summing up is here.

The best thing you can do is stay in shape.

Oh, and to answer the question, no. I worry about getting smashed by a motor vehicle operator.

terrymorse 

I just finished a book entitled The Haywire Heart - How Too much exercise can kill you, and what you can do to protect your heart.

It's written by athlete cardiologists and Lennard Zinn, who many may know from his books and technical articles on cycling.

It has lots of actionable information for the masters athlete.

If you're a cyclist with concerns about your cardio health, I highly recommend getting a copy. It's available from velopress.

Here's a review of the book from cardiologist and athlete Larry Creswell, MD.

GeezyRider 

Rightly or wrongly, I believe that given enough time, any organ will just wear out and stop functioning. Even a Toyota can wear out after 500,000 miles.

NomarsGirl

Nope. Everyone in my family dies of cancer. Our hearts are strong.

eja_ bottecchia

Is it Ti?

If so, you don't have to worry.

big john

A doctor asked if there was a history of heart disease in my family. I told him all the men in my family die from cancer long before they are old enough for heart disease. He was not amused.

big john

I think a well worked, strong heart will outlast a sedentary heart regardless of how many beats those hearts have had.
Stop changing the oil on your Toyota and it won't last as long as one which had proper maintenance.

GeezyRider 

Absolutely!!

caloso

I'm not sure I would assume that, but let's say for argument's sake that it's true.

We also know that raising heart rate for a short time through exercise results in a lower resting heart rate the remainder of the time. So let's compare two hearts: one belonging to a non-exerciser who's resting heart rate is 80bpm. (Higher end of normal range per Mayo Clinic) And one heart belonging to an athlete who works out and for 1 hour a day raises his heart rate to 160bpm, but as a result of this exercise, his resting HR is 60bpm. So, how many beats per day?

Non-exerciser: 80bpm x 60s/hr x 24hr/day = 115,200 beats per day
Exerciser: (160bpm x 60s/hr x 1hr of exercise) + (60bpm x 60s/hr x 23hr of rest) = 92,400 beats per day

Just a rough example, but something to think about.

NomarsGirl

Mine wasn't amused either. Then he glanced at the history I had provided and he was concerned. But I'm 52. Most of us don't see 40, so I guess I'm doing ok.

You know it's bad when the head of cancer genetics at Dana Farber Cancer Institute has your family on her personal Christmas card list.

JohnDThompson 

If you're concerned about it, check with your doctor, especially if you have a personal or family history of heart problems. Otherwise, let your body be your guide.

MoAlpha

The issue of exercise-related arrhythmias relates more to the faster end of the spectrum than to your average weekend duffer, who is far more likely to buy it from a coronary thrombosis, to wit, a plumbing, rather than an electrical, problem. So, there's a bit of an apples and oranges issue, which extends to the approach one might take to evaluating or mitigating risk.

tourisme

Those in this thread with diagnosed arrythmias or coronary artery disease have reason to be careful in one way or another. The rest of us should not worry about going too hard, because we're probably not going hard enough.

I can't be bothered to look up and link the references, but you can google for them. There is decent evidence that brief periods of intense activity produces better health benefits for the elderly in terms of various metabolic markers, VO2 max etc than does extended moderate activity. And by intense activity I mean maxing out, going as hard as you can, for a minute or two at a time. And the evidence relating to increased incidence of arrythmias among endurance athletes appears to be related not to maximal efforts, but to going hardish - around threshold - for very long periods: we're talking ironman, pro cyclists, multiple marathons, that sort of thing.

It's likely that the best thing you can do for your heart health is to go steady most of the time but make sure you go very hard indeed for a few minutes a couple of times a week. A nice couple of hours ride at recovery pace with a sprint up a decent hill in the middle of it is probably ideal. For the record, I'm 65 and regularly see an HR in the 170s.

GeezyRider 

You and Big John both make perfectly good sense. I was just making an awkward attempt at injecting a little humor into the subject which was probably inappropriate. For that, I apologize.

Digger Goreman

I'm nearly 59, vegetarian since 2010 (iirc), eat organic when possible and bike 40+ miles most weeks... pushing the hills for what I'm worth!

Got a bike late 2013 as a hyper tensive clyde... no longer....

Taking good-ish to best care of myself... no worries....

Biker395 

Aw geez ... it was a popular internet meme some time ago. Supposedly a quote from a doctor.

Biker395 

That's some funny gallows humor there.

I know people who's blood work was normal or better, who ended up having significant arteriosclerosis. And also those who had horrible bloodwork, and no blockages at all.

I really do recommend asking your doc about having a scan to assess the status of your cardiac arteries. Why guess based on bloodwork?

big john

You don't need to apologize. It was a friendly exchange.

terrymorse 

I would think the medical screening process is the same: Start with the basic risk factor screening, then move on to the next level if warranted.

I'm going through this currently, to rule out my PVCs being a symptom of something serious. Blood tests, check. ECG, check. Zio Patch, waiting for results. Stress test, pending. CT catheter, hope it doesn't have to go that far.

bruce19

No.

downtube42

I think my heart does a good job of protecting itself, by causing me discomfort when it's stressed. My brain collaborates with my heart by throttling my desire for suffering. I'm just along for the ride, no pun intended.

bobwysiwyg