Sporadic exercisers face higher cardiac risk

A word of warning to weekend warriors and couch potatoes suddenly motivated to hit the gym: go slow in working up to vigorous exercise. The warning comes from a new study from researchers at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit who find that some exercisers don't get a second chance after an unexpected turn of events while working out. The researchers tracked more than 3 million members at 320 fitness centers nationally. Members who exercised vigorously, but only every once in a while, actually increased their risk of a fatal heart attack or cardiac arrest. Interventional cardiologist Roger Acheatel, MD of Palomar Pomerado Health System in San Diego, California too often sees such cardiac patients, well-intentioned folks who did too much, too soon and found out the hard way their bodies couldn't handle it. "Very often, someone will say, 'I went out and did some vigorous exercise and developed some chest pain.'" - Little About