Scared to Train

Maybe get a thorough physical including a stress test if you have a family history of heart disease? That might put your mind at ease if nothing else, or help define the limits of what's advisable if there are any issues. Beyond that, I would just do what you enjoy and listen to your body. We're all going to go somehow and sometime; I would rather do what I love and take what comes than stay at home because of health worries that may or may not be justified, or, likewise, not travel or attend events due to things like fear of plane crashes or terrorism. I think just being aware of your fatigue levels and taking recovery days/weeks when needed, not training when ill, and making sure to take several weeks each year off structured training can go a long way toward mitigating some of the risks associated with "extreme" endurance sports.

Or think of it from a historical/evolutionary perspective---probably for most of human history, and in many cases up until the last century, our ancestors spent most of their waking hours engaged in physical activity, usually moderate, but sometimes very intense--seeking or growing food; getting or making other needed resources; avoiding enemies. Ditto for most species of animals. And yet the human race and many other species have survived and progressed. Anything can be bad in extreme doses, but it's more our modern sedentary lifestyle that's unnatural and placing us at risk for all kinds of problems.

Edited by Hot Runner 2018-04-07 8:29 AM

If you're like 99% of the population you probably won't push yourself to extreme exercise. It's too painful and requires too much commitment. Moderate exercise does have a calming effect on the cardiovascular system.

Feeling the same way! I never thought about it until the last few months, but lately everywhere I turn I have seen, heard, or read that someone has died or been injured severely while running, biking, or swimming. I keep stumbling across these stories and articles accidentally, and they make me feel nervous about the sport just because of how much I'm hearing about it randomly as of late.

Appreciate all the thoughts of the commenters above!

I saw few articles floating around Facebook about heart problems with extreme training, that made me fear a little. However I feel much better now as I train for about 7-10hours a week, so been told this does not come close to the extreme category.