Don’t Just Let Your Fingers Do the Walking!
The New Yorker tells us that the term “couch potato” isn’t as common as it once was, especially since the “jitteriness of digital life” has taken us over. Instead of lazing around on the couch with a remote control, everyone is hunched over a screen, fingers dancing across the buttons. Since we’re engaged with our content streams—maybe “binging” episodes in a booth at the coffee house—the metaphor of taking root on couch cushions is less familiar to our younger generations.[1] However, whatever our ages, and whatever we call these behaviors, we’re still just sitting around. And the more we sit around, or are “sedentary,” the more our bodies lose their mojo, their strength, and even their function.
To be fair, we’ve all hung out on the couch. Most of us have conveniently forgotten a New Year’s resolution to get into shape. And we know people who are sedentary because of injury or disease. While it’s true that everyone should work with their doctors to assess what’s best for them, we often don’t actually take action until we’re in a dangerous situation. That’s what happened to Arthur Boorman—but even his doctors had given up hope.
Arthur’s story begins in his 40s, after a fifteen-year military career. A veteran of the first Persian Gulf War, he had become disabled as a result of his job as a paratrooper. At 5 feet 6, he had carried the same amount of heavy communication equipment as the larger men, and his back, knees, hips, shoulders, and elbows all paid the price. Because of these accumulated injuries, doctors declared that Arthur would never walk unassisted again. He used two canes, along with braces on both knees and his back; as his pain increased and his mobility decreased, he surrendered to what seemed the inevitable. He began eating what he now calls “junk,” and soon weighed 300 pounds. Not surprisingly, he had very little energy, and began a downward spiral. He assumed he was dying.
Arthur says that he’s not sure what caused him to do an Internet search for “broken backs,” and he’s not sure why he clicked on a particular link. It belonged to a yoga protocol developed by Diamond Dallas Page (DDP)—the retired WWE wrestler who had suffered a spinal injury during a bout. DDP considered himself a guy who “wouldn’t be caught dead” doing yoga—which seemed like the perfect sort of person for Arthur.
Because we’re talking about couch potatoes and getting healthy, you’ve probably guessed that Arthur made some miraculous changes in his life. In just six months, with DDP’s unique encouragement (turns out that wrestling and boot camp have things in common), Arthur lost 100 pounds and gained much more mobility; not too much later, he became a viral sensation. Arthur was able to ditch the cane and braces—and even run again.[2] Arthur went back to work as a special education teacher, and he continues to do yoga and maintain a healthy lifestyle. At 175 pounds of muscle, he says if he can do it, anyone can. “I’m not special at all. I’m a special education teacher who wanted to live.”[3]
So what actually happened in Arthur’s body?
Photos courtesy of Arthur Boorman & DDP Yoga.
Can a Heart Get “Flabby” When We Don’t Exercise?
The short answer is “yes.” Since the heart is a muscle, a lack of exercise atrophies it. With inactivity, the heart’s chamber size and corresponding ability to pump blood reduce, which can lead to heart failure. On the other hand, as soon as we start exerting ourselves, the heart doubles or triples its rate—supporting laboring muscles with blood and oxygen.[4] To allow for this improved productivity, both the heart’s mass and the volume of its chambers increase.[5] That’s why Arthur went from barely being able to walk to running. Muscles throughout his body got back into shape, and his heart could supply all the blood he needed.
Body Fat and the Heart
It’s normal to have fatty deposits—called “adipose tissue”—throughout the body. It’s under the skin and between organs, insulating us from cold and heat, storing energy, and regulating glucose, among several other functions. However, having too much (or too little) can cause our body’s regulatory systems to malfunction.[6]
Excess amounts of fat in and around your heart—called “epicardial adipose tissue,” or EAT—have been linked to cardiovascular risk. As the amount of EAT around your heart increases, inflammation increases—which aids in the development and progression of coronary artery plaques. In fact, a fatty heart increases the risk of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), heart attack, ischemic stroke, heart failure, and AFib, regardless of whether you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes.[7]
When Arthur gained so much weight, the extra fat put stress on his heart in another way too. Every pound of weight we gain requires five miles of blood vessels to feed that tissue. Since our heart beats 100,000 times a day, just one pound of fat causes the heart to push blood 500,000 extra miles![8] With that in mind, we can more easily imagine why blood pressure increases and the heart gets tired when we’re overweight.
Arthur’s body started changing during the first week of his new routine of regular physical activity. Yoga helped his heart muscle to strengthen and his body fat to diminish. His heart was able to more efficiently pump blood to his lungs and throughout his body—allowing more blood flow to his muscles, and increased oxygen levels in his blood. Even his body’s tiniest blood vessels, called capillaries, widened, allowing them to help deliver oxygen and carry away waste products.[9]
Target Heart Rates for Different Exercise Results
The “target heart rate” is often called the “sweet spot” in exercise. It helps us do enough to improve our physical condition without overexerting and risking injury. Especially when we might be starting a new exercise routine, it’s best to get into the groove with a moderate activity—brisk walking, slow jogging, cycling under 10 mph—and check your heart rate as you go.[10] The American Heart Association explains how to assess activity levels—by first understanding both your resting heart rate and target heart rates for either “moderate-intensity” or “vigorous” activities. These rates are based on first calculating your “maximum heart rate,” which is determined by subtracting your age from 220. Check out this page for more information on doing the math for your age and goals.[11]
Is It Possible to Exercise Too Much?
The stronger the heart gets, the more efficient it gets. Athletes with very efficient hearts can have a heart rate as low as 30 or 40—as compared with the average of 60 to 80. In general, a low heart rate just means that your heart needs fewer beats to deliver the same amount of blood. It isn’t concerning as long as the athlete doesn’t have other symptoms, such as fatigue, dizziness, or weakness.[12]
Please note: As usual, there’s a happy medium, even in exercise. Overdoing endurance exercise or rigorous weightlifting regimens can abnormally thicken the heart muscle—which can actually shrink the space inside its chambers. So, once we get into great shape—and especially if we’re older and still regularly cycling, running, lifting, or whatever—along with regular checkups, be sure to note any changes in your body’s responses. For example, consult a doctor if you notice an abrupt decrease in performance, unusual fatigue, abnormal shortness of breath during or after a workout, or a burning sensation in the chest or upper abdomen.[13]
Can My Damaged Heart Heal With Exercise?
For people with coronary heart disease, regular aerobic exercise can improve the heart’s functioning. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute even reports that exercise can reduce the risk of a second heart attack.[14] For those at high risk for other heart diseases, the recommended exercise program includes both cardiovascular exercise and strength training. Harvard quotes studies that recommend walking at least 7,000 steps a day—which equates to about 3.5 miles, and takes the average person about 70 minutes. If that’s too much at first, they suggest starting with at least 30 minutes, or more if weight loss is desired; the workout can be broken into smaller chunks, if necessary.[15]
Exercise also has been credited with helping to prevent and even reverse damage to the heart and vessels—especially if you’re older. In a study published in the journal Circulation in 2021, subjects had thickened, struggling left ventricles, as well as markers in the blood that showed they were at increased risk of heart failure. After a year, the hearts of patients who participated in a vigorous exercise program were less rigid and more efficient at pumping blood than were the control group participants’ hearts.[16]
If you have heart disease, please consult your doctor to ensure that your activity levels are safe. For more information on the risks and benefits of exercise for the heart, please check this National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website.[17]
Take-Aways
When it comes to heart health, everything your mom tells you about eating well and exercising is true. A brisk walk causes your heart to beat a little faster and increases your respiration rate. But there’s also so much more happening under the surface. With each step, you’re preventing or improving heart disease risk factors, enhancing mental health, decreasing your chance of heart disease, and increasing your lifespan.[18] Remember, if Arthur could do it, so can you.
Matthew Mcconaughey’s “Just Keep Livin” Foundation
Our Superhuman Body narrator, Matthew McConaughey, is all about conscious choices. His mantra, “just keep livin’,” came to him while he was filming Dazed and Confused in 1993. He was struggling with the recent passing of his father, and “just keep livin’” hit the spot. It was a way to keep his dad’s spirit alive, to show him respect, and to recall what his dad had taught him. “It became sort of a compass for me,” the actor says. “What’s the life-affirming choice? What choice am I going to be happier about down the line?”[19]
The saying eventually became McConaughey’s brand, and he put it on clothing, stickers—even his dog’s collar. But then, he realized that if “just keep livin” could help him, then it could help others too. So in 2008, he and his wife, Camila, started a foundation that implements after-school programs in 45 inner-city high schools or other sites across 17 US cities. The program focuses on fitness, mental health, teamwork, and community; it serves more than 3,000 students, and is having a staggering impact. Nearly 100 percent of participants graduate in areas where a 50 percent dropout rate is typical. [20]
“We were going to schools where kids didn’t have a lot of room or incentive to exercise. We offered them a place to set some goals,” McConaughey says. “You’d have someone come to class and say, ‘I have trouble running a quarter of a mile, but I want to get on the soccer team next year.’ All right, that’s your goal!” And it’s working. The foundation’s kids are healthier.[21] Their grades improve, their confidence improves—and no more couch potatoes.
If you live in Alabama, California, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, or Washington, DC, check the “Just keep livin” website for a program near you. And if there isn’t one in your area, get off the couch and start something of your own. Change the world, one step at a time.
Resources
[1] Laurence Scott, “What ever happened to the couch potato?, The New Yorker (website), published online 6 July, 2016, https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/what-ever-happened-to-the-couch-potato.
[2] DDPY, “Arthur’s story has inspired tens of millions…,” ddpyoga.com (website), accessed 19 April, 2024, https://ddpyoga.com/blogs/success-stories/51634885-his-story-has-inspired-tens-of-millions.
[3] Joe Mason, “Transformation Tuesday with DDP: The power of community helped one, inspired millions,” app. (website), Asbury Park Press, part of the USA Today Network, 2 April, 2024, https://www.app.com/story/news/health/2024/04/02/ddp-yoga-arthur-boorman-story-diamond-dallas-page-wwe/73136362007/.
[4] Gretchen Reynolds, “When too much exercise is bad for your heart,” The Washington Post (website), published online 17 May, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/05/17/heart-afib-too-much-exercise/.
[5] Andre Le Gerche et al, “Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction as an Exercise Deficiency Syndrome: JACC Focus Seminar 2/4,” Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 20 September, 2022, Vol 80(12): 1177-1191, DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2022.07.011.
[6] Cleveland Clinic, “Adipose Tissue (Body Fat),” Cleveland Clinic (website), Body Systems & Organs, accessed 19 April, 2024, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24052-adipose-tissue-body-fat.
[7] Jennifer Cook, “Do You Have ‘Fatty Heart’?”, HealthCentral (website), medically reviewed by David M. Axelrod, MD, updated 12 March, 2024, https://www.healthcentral.com/article/do-you-have-hidden-fat-around-your-heart.
[8] Vivien Williams, “Mayo Clinic Minute: Fat is not inert—it’s active,” Mayo Clinic (website), Cardiovascular section, medically reviewed by Stephen Kopecky, MD, published online 10 March, 2020, https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-minute-fat-is-not-inert/.
[9] National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), “Physical Activity and Your Heart: Benefits,” NHLBI (website), last updated 24 March, 2022, https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/heart/physical-activity/benefits#:~:text=When%20done%20regularly%2C%20moderate%2D%20and,levels%20in%20your%20blood%20rise.
[10] Ashley Marcin, “What’s a Fat-Burning Heart Rate, and How’s It Calculated?”, healthline (website), medically reviewed by Daniel Bubnis, MS, published online 10 April, 2023, https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/fat-burning-heart-rate#takeaway.
[11] American Heart Association (AHA), “Target Heart Rates Chart,” AHA (website), last reviewed 9 March, 2021, https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/target-heart-rates.
[12] Jane Chertoff, “Why Do Athletes Have a Lower Resting Heart Rate?”, healthline (website), medically reviewed by Angela M. Bell, MD, published online 26 June, 2023, https://www.healthline.com/health/athlete-heart-rate.
[13] MedStar Health, “5 Things Athletes Should Know About Their Hearts,” MedStar Health (website), Blog, published online 9 February, 2021, https://www.medstarhealth.org/blog/athletes-heart.
[14] National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), “Benefits.”
[15] Kelly Bilodeau, “Exercise may heal the heart as well as prevent future problems,” Harvard Health Publishing (website), Harvard Medical School, published online 1 January, 2022, https://www.health.harvard.edu/exercise-and-fitness/exercise-may-heal-the-heart-as-well-as-prevent-future-problems.
[16] Ibid.
[17] National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), “Benefits.”
[18] Julie Corliss, “The many ways exercise helps your heart,” Harvard Health Publishing (website), Heart Health, published online 1 January, 2023, https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/the-many-ways-exercise-helps-your-heart#:~:text=If%20you%20take%20a%20brisk,feel%20your%20leg%20muscles%20working.
[19] Matthew McConaughey in “McConaughey Explains ‘Just Keep Livin’ Mantra,” Associated Press YouTube interview, posted online 25 April, 2013, https://youtu.be/tb3UXctru3A?si=Ww0uLda9l3qiJHEU.
[20] James Hibberd, “Matthew McConaughey Named Philanthropist of the Year: “I Want This to Be a Legacy,” The Hollywood Reporter (website), published online 23 November, 2021, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/matthew-mcconaughey-interview-philanthropist-of-the-year-1235050777/.
[21] Hibberd.