Too much exercise could be deadly for middle-aged men
They think it will keep them fit. In fact it can put them at risk of fractures, heart problems and strokes
Next April, Rod Gemmell is planning to run the notorious Marathon des Sables — a six- day 156mile ultra- marathon across the Sahara desert at a time when the temperature is likely to climb to more than 50 degrees.
It is one of the toughest challenges any athlete can face, but Rod is no professional. He is a 66-year-old retired businessman of average build and fitness from Caterham, Surrey.
Until five years ago, Rod’s exercise was restricted to squash and the occasional three-mile jog. But he is now single-mindedly focused on fitness and adventure.
However, last year, just weeks into his marathon training, he suffered a stroke that left him paralysed on the left side — very likely, he and his doctors suspect, caused by his excessive exercising.
Most people would see this as a sign to cut back, but Rod merely postponed his marathon by a year. Now with strength returned to his left side he is battling to correct the lop-sided running gait caused by his stroke and remains resolute: ‘I will get to this event in 2017 and I am absolutely not going to walk it,’ he says.
Rod may be at the extreme end of exercise enthusiasm, but he is typical of a growing band of men who get fixated on exercise in mid-life.
extreme sports, such as the Ironman triathlons, ultra-marathons, multi- day cycles and free running (where people jump over obstacles in their path), have exploded in popularity in recent years, with increasing numbers of people — particularly men — joining in.
And it’s no longer a young man’s game. the buzz is increasingly sought by men of a certain age, who find their desire to get fit becomes wrapped up with a competitive drive to prove they’ve still ‘got it’.
In 2013, researchers Mintel found the biggest growth in UK bike sales was among men in the 35 to 44 age group, where more than half have one.
triathlon participation in Britain has grown by 300 per cent in the past five years — it’s the new golf for thousands of formerly sedentary semi- retirees. But while the benefits of exercise are undisputed, many of these super exercisers will push themselves too hard, either causing lasting physical damage, or becoming so addicted that relationships and work start to suffer.
AREPORT last year in psychology today suggested that for some 3 per cent of Britons, striving to stay fit does more harm than good. ‘I see an increasing number of men in their 40s or even 50s who come in with shoulder injuries through doing triathlons or ultra-marathons and have picked up stress fractures,’ says consultant orthopaedic surgeon Simon Moyes at the Wellington Hospital in London.
Amer Khan, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Highgate private Hospital in London, agrees: ‘these men can be so competitive, their exercise becomes highly aggressive, they are training so intensely, pushing their boundaries ever harder.
‘If they don’t warm up or cool down properly, they become vulnerable to injury. I’m seeing more knee problems and collarbone fractures as a result.’
Studies have shown that endurance athletes of any age can be vulnerable to irregular heartbeat, enlargement, stiffening and scarring of heart tissue.
Heavy, long-term exercise could also put you at risk of infections — reducing infection-fighting white blood cells circulating through the body — whereas moderate exercise has the opposite effect.
Jim pate, a senior physiologist at the London Centre for Health and Human performance, warns that middle-aged men should approach intensive exercise with caution, as many will have an age-related disease, ‘or be edging towards it’.
‘When they push themselves out of the confines of ordinary recreational sport and into extreme challenges, they need to be fully aware of the risks they face,’ he says.
Heart and lung muscles naturally become less efficient as we age, and vigorous exercise can cause a dramatic rise in blood pressure.
exercising intensely for more than an hour or two may cause heart tissue to stretch and tear. extreme endurance exercise can cause a rise in levels of a chemical called cardiac troponins, which can indicate damaged heart tissue.
excessive exercise can trigger atrial fibrillation — a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate, which can trigger a stroke.
Doctors told Rod his stroke had likely been caused by blocking of the small arteries that feed the brain. However, his doctors believe his extreme training schedule played a part.
He’d been in prague at a training camp, running 10k a day in 30c heat when it happened, and his specialist told him the mix of training hard, with a few boozy meals, and the flight home, may have combined to increase his blood viscosity, setting off the stroke.
His story echoes that of TV presenter Andrew Marr, who in 2013 tore a carotid artery, triggering a stroke, after an intensive session on a rowing machine.
Dr Andrew Baranowski, a consultant in pain management at King edward VII’s Hospital, in London questions whether middleaged bodies are built for extremes.
‘Many of the patients I see have pushed themselves too far and have picked up injuries that mean they are now struggling with chronic pain,’ he says. ‘the key is to modify your activity as you get older.’
Rod’s craving for exercise-based adventure began five years ago, when a friend suggested he join a group cycling from Land’s end to John o’ Groats. He had recently sold his mechanical equipment manufacturing company and says: ‘I had time on my hands and I needed a project. I figured training might fill that gap.’ He completed the ride in nine days and then went on ever-longer cycle rides, trekked up Mount Kilimanjaro and took a trip up from everest’s base camp.
In 2014, he biked the length of the Rocky Mountains for 2,745 miles from Canada to the Mexican border — on his own. ‘ I’m a highly competitive person,’ Rod admits.
He doesn’t, however, consider himself to be an ‘exercise addict’, but he admits his family think he’s crazy. ‘My girlfriend, Helena, 46, thinks I might die in the Sahara. My family would lock me up to stop me going if they could,’ he says.
‘But I love this! When I can’t exercise because of injury it leaves me feeling lethargic and frustrated.’
According to Ian Drever, a consultant psychiatrist and addiction specialist at the priory Hospital in Woking, Surrey, it is common for exercise compulsion to strike in middle age as people try to recapture the excitement of their youth. psychologists at the University of oregon in 2011 found that men’s competitiveness peaks around the age of 50. In a maths challenge in the study, men aged 45 to 54 were far more competitive than younger men (25 to 34). And women in the study displayed less of a desire to compete. ‘there is certainly a trend in men of a certain age who need to prove something to themselves or to others,’ says Ian Drever.
He SAYS certain people are more vulnerable: ‘ exercise addiction particularly affects classic “type A” personalities who are driven and perfectionist.’ An exercise addict may feel depressed or show signs of distress if a training session has to be skipped, because strenuous activity can activate the sympathetic nervous system (the ‘fight or flight response’), causing a rise in the concentration of the moodboosting brain chemicals norepinephrine and serotonin.
At the same time, the pituitary gland will secrete molecules called beta- endorphins that stop pain signals reaching the brain. According to Ian Drever, you can, in this way, acquire a ‘ biological addiction’ where you are effectively hooked on the natural ‘high’.
A classic sign is when training once a day isn’t enough and/or when rest days (though recommended) seem superfluous, or counterproductive. And that’s when physical problems are likely to kick in.
Meanwhile, Rod is ‘doggedly jogging and walking’ but he admits his gait since the stroke is a problem. ‘I’ve pulled my calf and injured my ankle, but I am back on the squash court, stumbling around.’
He is working closely with sports specialists and physiotherapists, but says: ‘I’m not training any less just because of the stroke. If I’m going to do this marathon, I want to be as good as I can possibly be.’