Risky Business

You know all those disclaimers in fine print  in exercise articles or on TV that warn : "check with your doctor before staring any exercise program?" People rarely do it, but they really should.

There are a couple of things you can do for yourself to see whether or not checking with your doctor is the prudent thing to do.

One is to complete a very short questionnaire known as the PAR-Q. The PAR-Q is the minimum standard health screen used in the fitness and wellness industry. ( By the way, if your trainer or gym did not complete at least this minimum screening process- RUN!)

One other process you can complete for yourself is to determine your risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) by completing the ACSM risk stratification analysis. The ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) is the world's largest and most prestigious organization for exercise science and sports medicine.

The positive risk factors for CAD include:

1.  Family history: Myocardial infarction, (coronary bypass), or sudden death of father/brother before the age of 55, or mother/sister before the age of 65.

2. Cigarette smoker: current or quit less than 6 months.

3. Hypertension: Systolic 140+, diastolic 90+.

4. Cholesterol: LDL> 130, HDL< 40, OR total .200. ( Shame on you if you don't know it- get up right now and go have it checked!)

5. Fasting glucose: 100+ ( See above!)

6. Obese: BMI 30+ or waist/hip ratio greater than 0.95 in men and 0.86 in women.

7. Sedentary: less than 30 minutes per day of moderate activity on most days of the week (that's at least 150 minutes/week. (Oh, and guess what? A recent study shows that only 3.5% of adults attain this level. So, as soon as you stop reading this, get moving!)

A negative risk factor is high HDL, which is >60. You can subtract it from the other risk factors.

So what does this all mean?

You are considered at low risk of CAD if you are male <45 yrs. or female <55 yrs. , are asymptomatic, and have no more than 1 risk factor.

You are considered at moderate risk of CAD if you are a male over 45 yrs. or a female over 55 yrs. OR if you have 2 or more risk factors. It's probably a good idea to get a doctor's clearance before beginning an exercise program.

Finally, you are considered at high risk of CAD if you have known OR 1 or more signs of cardiac, pulmonary, or metabolic disease. You should definitely be cleared by a doctor before beginning any exercise program. I mean it. I would not accept you as a client without a clearance; and, no reputable program or trainer would.

Or, you can take Miles' advice from "Risky Business" (1984):

" ...every now and then , saying 'what the #@!%' brings freedom. Freedom brings opportunity..."