Generally, your heart loves exercise.
There’s one thing to set straight first: Exercise is overwhelmingly good for your heart. For most people, the following benefits far outweigh the risks:
— Lowered cholesterol.
— Reduced blood pressure.
— Improved blood sugar.
— Decreased inflammation.
Physical activity is also one of the most effective ways to ward off heart disease and stroke, two of the top causes of death in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association. The AHA recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise for adults each week.
Too much of a good thing
There are times, however, when exercising can be detrimental to your health.
Strenuous exercise and overtraining can exacerbate some uncommon heart conditions, such as certain cardiomyopathies, myocarditis, congenital heart conditions and severe heart valve conditions.
You might also experience regression in your progress or results. If your muscles are constantly sore and you’re having trouble sleeping or keeping up with previously easy workouts, then something is probably wrong. It’s best to rest and seek medical advice.
Watch out for these 12 other signs that you should stop working out immediately:
1. You have not consulted your doctor.
If you’re at risk for heart disease, it’s important that you talk to your doctor before beginning an exercise plan. Your doctor may provide specific guidelines, such as what your heart rate should be during workouts so you can exercise safely after a heart attack.
And this advice is not just for older adults — young athletes should be screened for heart conditions too.
“The worst tragedy of all is sudden death on the playing field,” says Dr. Jonathan Drezner, a family medicine physician specializing in sports medicine at the University of Washington. He also focuses on the prevention of sudden cardiac death in young athletes.
No matter your age, if you’re taking up a new exercise protocol, you should check with your doctor and make sure you’re healthy enough to engage with that intensity of exercise.
2. You go from zero to 100.
Ironically, people who are out of shape and quickly ramp up their physical activity may also be at higher risk for sudden heart problems. A sudden spike in heart rate while exercising or performing other activities, such as shoveling snow, can signal danger.
“Pace yourself, don’t do too much too soon and make sure you give your body time to rest between workouts,” advises Dr. Martha Gulati, president of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology and a cardiologist at the Cedars-Sinai Smidt Heart Institute in Los Angeles.
Your heart rate during exercise is also a critical indicator of your health as you’re starting a new exercise program. One rule of thumb is not to exceed your maximum heart rate, says Kisha Carr, a CrossFit Level 2 Trainer and USA Weightlifting-certified trainer with Invictus Fitness in San Diego.
The formula is: 220 – your age = your maximum heart rate.
So, if you’re 40 years old, subtract 40 from 220 and that equals your max heart rate: 180 beats per minute. A safe heart rate when exercising is usually below that level.
3. Your heart is wacky.
If you’re keeping tabs on your heart rate, you should also stay within the recommended window for the intensity of your workout.
For moderate-intensity exercise, for example, your heart rate should be between 64% and 76% of your maximum heart rate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For a 40-year-old adult, that’s between about 115 and 137 beats per minute.
“If you’re exceeding 90% of your max heart rate continually for an extended period of time, that might be a red flag, and you should see your doctor,” Carr says.
A sudden spike in heart rate that seems disproportionate to the amount of effort you’re putting into your workout is also a warning sign.
In addition, if you have atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat) or another heart rhythm disorder, it’s important to seek emergency care when symptoms occur. Atrial fibrillation, palpitations and other rhythm disorders can feel like fluttering, thumping or a skipped heartbeat in the chest and may require medical attention.
4. You’re not regularly paying attention to your body.
Even if you’re a seasoned athlete, you still need to pay attention to how your body responds to exercise each time. Endurance athletes and others who work out for long periods can experience changes to the heart muscle (thickening and enlargement) that might elevate the risk for sudden cardiac events.
Research has suggested that the exercise habits of people like marathon runners, who can run mile after mile over the course of years, “can lead to structural changes in the heart, which in turn could lead to heart attacks and arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythm),” explains Dr. Fred Soliman, a sports medicine physician with the Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute in Florida and team physician for the University of Central Florida. “Other studies have found individuals who participate in excessive exercise habits can lead to increased rates of cardiovascular disease as well.”
Additionally, researchers of a small 2019 study in PloS One found that amateur triathletes (who were working out for about 27 hours per week on average) had signs of sustained overactivity of their cardiovascular sympathetic nervous system when compared to healthy, sedentary non-athletes. The study noted that these signs could be a risk factor for future cardiovascular events.
That said, exercise is still good for you. The axiom “the dose makes the poison” is the key here. Sudden cardiac events among seasoned athletes are relatively rare, and exercise is still overwhelmingly good for your heart. The point is to be mindful of your limits. If something doesn’t feel right, then you should back off, rest or seek medical attention.
5. You experience chest pain or a feeling of heart strain.
“Chest pain is never normal or expected,” says Gulati, who also serves as associate director of the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center.
In rare cases, she adds, exercise can cause a heart attack. If you feel signs of a heart attack during or after exercise, such as chest pain or pressure — especially alongside nausea, vomiting, dizziness, shortness of breath or extreme sweating — you should stop working out immediately and call 911.
And if you feel like your heart hurts after exercise, that’s something to talk about with your health care provider.
6. You’re suddenly short of breath.
If your breath doesn’t quicken when you exercise, you’re probably not working hard enough. But there’s a difference between shortness of breath due to exercise and shortness of breath due to a potential heart attack, heart failure, exercise-induced asthma or another condition.
“If there is an activity or level that you could do with ease and suddenly you get winded,” Gulati says, “stop exercising, and see your doctor.”
You should visit your provider if your post-workout shortness of breath is severe or persistent.
7. You feel dizzy.
When dizziness strikes, you’ve most likely pushed yourself too hard or didn’t fuel enough before your workout. Exercising while fasting, for instance, can cause your blood sugar levels to fall and make you feel ill or woozy.
But if stopping for water or a snack doesn’t help — or if the lightheadedness is accompanied by profuse sweating, confusion or even fainting — you might need emergency attention.
These symptoms could be a sign of dehydration, diabetes, blood pressure or heart problems or possibly a nervous system problem. Dizziness could also signal a heart valve issue, Gulati says. All of those potential conditions need to be addressed as soon as possible.
8. You’ve been sick.
Whether you should exercise while sick is a topic of some debate, but by and large, if you’re not well — you have a cold, the flu, COVID-19 or another transmissible disease — it’s best to skip your workout until you’re feeling better.
That’s because your body, specifically your immune system, is already under stress when fighting a viral or bacterial infection. Adding the stress of exercise, and the potential dehydration that can result, forces your immune system to work that much harder to keep you at baseline. If you push it too hard, you can delay symptom improvement or make yourself feel even sicker.
If you’re feeling flu-like symptoms after exercise, that could be a signal from your body that it has been fighting off a virus. In that case, rehydrate, rest and come back to exercise when you’re feeling better.
Plus, staying home when you’re sick means you’re not only protecting your own health, you’re also being considerate of other people at the gym.
9. Your legs cramp.
Cramps seem innocent enough, but they shouldn’t be ignored. Leg cramps during exercise could signal intermittent claudication, a condition characterized by a blockage of your leg’s main artery.
Although the exact reason why cramps occur isn’t fully understood, they’re thought to be related to dehydration or electrolyte imbalances.
“I think it’s fairly safe to say the No. 1 reason why people are going to start cramping is dehydration,” says Dr. Mark Conroy, an emergency medicine and sports medicine physician with the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
This means you need to be on high alert if you’re exercising in hot weather.
“(If you’re) out in the heat and you feel like your legs are cramping up, it’s not a time to push through,” Conroy adds. “You need to stop what you’re doing.”
In addition to rehydrating with electrolyte-rich drinks, Conroy recommends wrapping a damp towel that’s been in the freezer or refrigerator around the affected area or applying an ice pack. He also suggests massaging the cramped muscle while you stretch it.
10. Your joints are swollen or painful.
It’s normal to feel some muscle soreness from exercising, but if you suddenly experience joint pain or swelling, it’s time to get off the treadmill.
Swelling and pain in the joints can be signs that you’ve damaged tissue, and continuing to exercise on such an injury could lead to much bigger issues down the line.
Play it safe, and take a break. Apply ice to the painful joint, and seek advice from a medical professional for how to return to exercise safely.
11. Your sweat levels suddenly increase.
Suddenly sweating more than normal can also be a sign that something is amiss. The body uses sweat as its own cooling system to help rid the body of excess heat. As sweat evaporates from the skin, it draws heat off the body.
However, excessive sweating could mean your body is too hot. If weather conditions aren’t the culprit behind increased sweat output, it’s best to take a break and determine if something serious is at play.
12. You feel confused, or your workout buddy seems off.
Often, it’s more likely that a workout partner will notice a cognitive change first rather than the person experiencing the issue, which is why it’s smart to pair up as a safety measure during exercise.
Symptoms of overexercising can be subtle, so pay attention to your workout partner — if you notice they seem confused, it’s important to take a break to find out what the problem is.
Ignoring these signs could be dangerous.
Not paying attention to these signs could lead to injuries.
“You could suffer irreversible damage to your body,” Carr warns.
Any heart incident can impact other internal organs if they are deprived of adequate oxygen for a period of time. However, when identified early, these potentially life-threatening heart conditions are treatable.
You can exercise again.
Returning to exercise can also be a critical part of the healing process when you do have a heart issue.
“After the heart attack is treated or the damaged valve is replaced, the healing process is not complete,” explains Dr. Jeff Tyler, an interventional and structural cardiologist with the Orange County Heart Institute in California. “Exercise training is critical after one of these life-threatening events to restore a person’s function and quality of life.”
If you’ve had a heart problem or recent heart surgery, consider cardiac rehabilitation, which provides supervised exercise training to allow people to safely recover and regain their strength. Talk with your physician about enrolling in cardiac rehabilitation to get back to doing the things you love.
Top signs you should stop exercising immediately:
— You haven’t consulted your doctor.
— You go from zero to 100.
— Your heart is wacky.
— You’re not regularly paying attention to your body.
— You experience chest pain or a feeling of heart strain.
— You’re suddenly short of breath.
— You feel dizzy.
— You’ve been sick.
— Your legs cramp.
— Your joints are swollen or painful.
— Your sweat levels suddenly increase.
— You feel confused, or your workout buddy seems off.
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12 Signs You Should Stop Exercising Immediately originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 03/25/24: This piece was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
Correction 04/02/24: A previous version of this story misidentified the name of one of the health care centers where Dr. Martha Gulati serves.
