Your Heart Only has so Many Beats...

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2

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  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    I've heard that theory. I think they use animals as an example. Tortoises have very slow hearts and long lives, birds the opposite.

    Oh look, it even has a name.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heartbeat_hypothesis
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
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    Okay...this is one from a colleague at work. He's in his 50's used to be in the forces and fire brigade etc and we were talking about exercise and the workouts that we do.

    Then he regailed that back in his service days, there were always a bunch of guys that were doing marathons and cycling challenges etc and he then said in later years they seemed to be the ones with the most health concerns and a couple died of heart attacks.

    Anyway...to cut a long story short, his theory is that your heart only has so many beats and maybe through indurance exercise you work it to an early grave.

    Personally I think this is baloney, I mean think of all the atheletes that should have karked it by now. Paula Radcliffe would be a existential marvel!

    But just wanted to know if anyone had any thoughts or had ever heard of this 'concept' before...?

    I have read about ultra-endurance athletes and studies talking about heart damage from ultra-endurance athletes.

    http://running.competitor.com/2012/06/news/how-much-running-is-bad-for-your-heart_54331

    http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/heart-attack-risks-are-greater-for-athletes-who-compete-in-endurance-sports-263

    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/when-exercise-is-too-much-of-a-good-thing/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
  • MaryJane_8810002
    MaryJane_8810002 Posts: 2,082 Member
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  • Debbjones
    Debbjones Posts: 278 Member
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    It's up there with a woman's uterus falling out if she runs.

    Sorry but as we age, this can actually happen. It is called organ "prolapse". I don't know the numbers or how common it may be... but organ prolapse is REAL and special precautions need to be used by those with this condition when they run or do anything strenuous.

    Just saying... :smile:
  • veganbettie
    veganbettie Posts: 701 Member
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    It's up there with a woman's uterus falling out if she runs.

    Sorry but as we age, this can actually happen. It is called organ "prolapse". I don't know the numbers or how common it may be... but organ prolapse is REAL and special precautions need to be used by those with this condition when they run or do anything strenuous.

    Just saying... :smile:

    this just made me kegal.

    anyone else?
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    I'll bet the examples he was looking at probably had terrible diets, thinking their exercise would take care of all issues.

    Jim Fixx principle.

    Also the fact some may have had terrible genetics, and the exercise actually allowed them to go further than what might have been the case.

    Or are they indeed the examples of the ultra-endurance cardio having some bad side effects?
  • veganbettie
    veganbettie Posts: 701 Member
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    This sounds like the tagline to some movie about a girl who has heart disease and falls in love with the captain of the football team. I guess maybe she's on the marching band or something too.

    "Your heart only has so many beats...what song will you play?"

    Blech!!! I'm not going to see it, that's for sure.

    I think that is called.... " A Beat to Remember"

    staring Mandy Moore.
  • 347Gigi
    347Gigi Posts: 99 Member
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    I've heard it many times, and it's dumb


    This.
  • sassyjae21
    sassyjae21 Posts: 1,217 Member
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    Anyone believing such nonsense should abstain from sex as to avoid the increased heart rate and directly linked shorter life span.

    I've got a friend that says that sex is 50 strokes. True story

    A three pump chump wastes two and a half pumps.

    lol lol lol
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,947 Member
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    Interesting.

    Of course, if we do cardio, our average heart rate should decrease. So more beats for 1 hour a day but less for every other hour. Should balance some how.

    Not that I agree with his theory.
  • Veil5577
    Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
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    It's up there with a woman's uterus falling out if she runs.

    Sorry but as we age, this can actually happen. It is called organ "prolapse". I don't know the numbers or how common it may be... but organ prolapse is REAL and special precautions need to be used by those with this condition when they run or do anything strenuous.

    Just saying... :smile:

    this just made me kegal.

    anyone else?

    Yes. :blushing:
  • bago08
    bago08 Posts: 360 Member
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    Maybe is his correct but the 20-30 mins that your heart rate is up during exercise is dwarfed by the other 23 hours+ of the day where your heart rate is lowered by being stronger and more efficient through exercise
  • mmd575
    mmd575 Posts: 88 Member
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    Selection bias. He's only recalling what he felt were anomalies.




    Oh, and his theory is stupid.

    This!
  • Kamikazeflutterby
    Kamikazeflutterby Posts: 775 Member
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    Of course your heart only has so many beats. If it keeps going after everything else stops, you're on zombie time. You should also be warned that no matter what we do with our school systems 50% of people are below average. Then there's everyone's favorite: eat right, exercise, die anyway. Does that mean exercise isn't worth it? Hell no!

    Beware people bearing specious slogans. They're not enough reason to change your lifestyle.
  • c_aw
    c_aw Posts: 128 Member
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    ok, soooo, this theory in the medical community doesn't exist. and since i am in the medical community i can support this.

    hearts of athletes are stronger, and actually beat slower then of an average person,
    there is something called "athletes heart" basically the heart muscle grows stronger so its able to pump more blood with less beats, in a non pathological way, compared to someone who has hypertension and has it enlarged.
    great for the cardiovascular system in general, statistically speaking, less diseases=longer lifespan.

    on the other hand.

    athletes who overtrain can actually harm themselves, thats why there are stories of runners/bodybuilders etc just dying of a heart attacks because their hearts basically explode(highly over exaggerated here) due to the intensity. also people who take roids. haha
  • ncrugbyprop
    ncrugbyprop Posts: 96 Member
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    First off, heart attacks are not attributed to the heart having only so many beats. Heart attacks occur due to abnormal blood flow to the actual heart tissue. Even heart failure isn't attributed to hust old age. Its still correlated to coronary heart disease, diabetes, etc.

    So, in summary, dude is an idiot.
  • yellowlemoned
    yellowlemoned Posts: 335 Member
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    Never heard that theory before. It sounds like a big crock of crap to me, but it sounds like an awesome plot for a movie, book, video game, or comic book. Maybe I should get to writing. lol
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
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    Okay...this is one from a colleague at work. He's in his 50's used to be in the forces and fire brigade etc and we were talking about exercise and the workouts that we do.

    Then he regailed that back in his service days, there were always a bunch of guys that were doing marathons and cycling challenges etc and he then said in later years they seemed to be the ones with the most health concerns and a couple died of heart attacks.

    Anyway...to cut a long story short, his theory is that your heart only has so many beats and maybe through indurance exercise you work it to an early grave.

    Personally I think this is baloney, I mean think of all the atheletes that should have karked it by now. Paula Radcliffe would be a existential marvel!

    But just wanted to know if anyone had any thoughts or had ever heard of this 'concept' before...?

    Interesting concept...

    Obese people would use their hearts more.. maybe there is something in that!

    In all honesty we do only have a limited amount of time on this earth. We never know what is exactly right and what is wrong. The best we can do is what is right with the information you have, we kind of have to ignore alot of the blurb.
    glad you shared, it gives me something to think about and realize we truly do have the time on Earth that we have and that's what we have. We can die healthy or we can die unhealthy. What I'm referring to here is car accidents, etc. I want to be healthy as long as I can. Never know if we have a tomorrow so I figure I want to feel my best for Today!
  • sjaplo
    sjaplo Posts: 974 Member
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    Sir Bedevere "And that my liege is how we know the earth to be banana shaped."

    King Arthur " This new learning amazes me Sir Bedevere. Explain again how sheep's bladders can be used to prevent earthquakes."


    Ranks right up there. Just a thought; the fitter you are the slower your heart beats at rest. How do you fit that in? Or someone like cyclist Miguel Indurain who's resting heart rate was 42bpm?

    Mines 58 by the by.

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