A Time for Change
January 19th, 2006 by MarkRecently I’ve been really busy. I’ve also been dealing with a lot of stress, both from work and from a difficult break-up. Being a night owl by nature, and teaching late classes at work, my sleep schedule has become nearly nocturnal. I haven’t exactly been getting any exercise living in a city with no gyms and away from any decent running trails. Still, what happened yesterday shocked me.
While I was at work getting ready for my late class, I felt a general discomfort around my left shoulder and chest. I didn’t think much of it, and I went in and taught my class. By the time I finished my chest was aching quite a bit, and my left arm felt cold and tingly, as if it had fallen asleep. I was pretty resistant to the idea that it could be some kind of heart problem, but the symptoms were too threatening. I had to go into the emergency room and make sure it wasn’t angina or even a heart attack.
As I left work, my boss said, “I guess that’s what happens when you eat too much KFC.” On my way to the hospital, I kept thinking about my diet and health in general. In college, I was a cross-country runner. I used to run 70-110 miles a week. Even 3 years ago, before I came to Taiwan, I could do a 15-18 mile long run without any serious pain. Is it possible to build up enough fatty deposits to cause angina in only 3 years? Isn’t 27 way to young to have this kind of problem, even if you are getting really chubby like I am?
By the time I got to the hospital, my arm was really bugging me and I was getting pretty worried. First they checked my blood pressure- 165/97. Not too good. Then I got a blood test and an EKG. I had to wait 90 minutes. At the end, I got my report. My heart was fine. My blood test came out fine. The checked my blood pressure again, and it was 132/74. My pulse was 64. All in all, I have a lower risk profile for heart problems than the average guy my age… but I still have to lose some weight.
So what was wrong? Why does my arm hurt? It was just a strained muscle. Still, just the fact that I felt like it was within the realm of possibility I was having heart problems means that I should get in shape. Now the question is, is it worth it to risk my life riding a scooter on a winding 2 lane highway to get to the only gym within a half hour commute of where I live? Or would it be better to risk the packs of stray dogs and crazy motorists and try to start jogging around where I live?
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January 19th, 2006 at 4:25 pm
Why not do your own little routine in your apartment? Sit ups, push ups, stretching. 20 min in the morning is plenty… I’ve been wanting to stat doing that myself but haven’t
January 19th, 2006 at 4:41 pm
Actually, I do. Doing some one handed incline push-ups is how I got the muscle strain. I’m still strong, but what I’ve got to do is something aerobic. My apartment is way to small for that.
January 20th, 2006 at 1:01 am
Maybe you can try the gym? Since you only teach at night!?
Take care man!!
January 20th, 2006 at 5:25 am
Have you considered skipping rope? But honestly, if you can do one-handed pushups, then I wouldn’t be too worried. I really think there is a disconnect between what people think of as being really fit, especially from the aesthetic point of view, and what is actually necessary for health. Having a bit of pudge is not going to make you more likely to die.
My friend’s boyfriend had similar symptoms as you — pain and tightness in the chest, and in his case a very stiff shoulder. For the longest time they told him to cut down on the meats and fatty foods and he was awfully unhappy. Then they realized that it was actually gallbladder stones. Now I don’t know how gallbladderstones would cause a stiff shoulder, but since he got them out he’s been a-OK.
January 20th, 2006 at 5:46 am
I’m not sure the one-handed push-ups mean much. It just means I’m ok in terms of strength vs weight. It doesn’t mean my heart’s in good shape. I do have a BMI of nearly 30. In any case, with the symptoms I had, I just had to make sure.
I did think of jump-roping, though. I can’t do that inside, but it doesn’t take much space. I could just do it right outside my appartment. People would think I’m a total weirdo. But since foreigners are automatically 99% weird anyway, why not give it a shot, eh? Jump-roping’s intense, too. Even back when a 3 hour run didn’t faze me, I got winded just from 15 minutes of jump-roping.
January 21st, 2006 at 11:18 am
Skipping is indeed intense, and yeah, your neighbours will just add it to their list of the weird things you do.
Glad to hear you’re ok.
August 2nd, 2006 at 1:29 am
why not try tai chi? u r in a country where tai chi is popular, so u should be able to find a tai chi class easily.