Going up a few stairs may cause you to gasp for air. Or even a little bit of effort can leave you gasping for air and in pain. Although many people experience this occasionally, it can occasionally be a sign of poor cardiovascular health.
According to the World Health Organization, adults between the ages of 18 and 64 should exercise for at least 150 minutes a week at a moderate intensity or 75 minutes at a vigorous intensity. This is due to the fact that exercise has numerous health advantages, such as lowering blood pressure, preventing cardiovascular disease, enhancing depression, reducing chronic pain, and more.
But not everyone follows these rules. And even those who attempt it might not practise it frequently enough. (See these completely doable fitness challenges.)
We questioned medical professionals and personal trainers about how to identify being out of shape and how to get back in shape.
You’re breathless with activities that require minimal exertion
When you get up from the couch to go to the kitchen, do you puff and puff? Consider ascending one flight of stairs. According to Cordelia Carter, MD, a sports orthopaedic surgeon at NYU Langone in New York City, this is most likely because your cardiovascular system is under stress to provide vital oxygen to muscles (including your heart muscle) that are exerting an increased effort due to your increased exertion through physical activity. And you might not be in the best shape, she continues.
The cardiovascular system has adjusted to the increased physical demands placed upon it when speaking of being “in shape” in this context.
