There is no denial that to keep one’s heart healthy and active, some exercises are necessary. But indiscriminate exercise- regime for other considerations sans the effect on one’s heart is mainly responsible for impending adverse effects. Regular moderate exercise is essential for prevention of heart-attacks, strokes, prevention or better management of diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, etc., but the flip side of excessive exercise training is Athletic Heart Syndrome (AHS). AHS occurs due to hypertrophy of the heart muscle which can be described as increased heart muscle mass, increased chamber dimensions and wall thickness which further increase its work. This is because the job of nourishing all these extra muscle tissues falls on the heart and pushing blood into the hard muscles calls for still more effort by this organ. AHS gets diagnosed by an abnormal ECG, X-Ray and Echocardiography and also gets normalised after some months or years of stopping the exercise. For high- level athletic training, AHS-awareness is very important. While breathlessness takes immediate notice of; symptoms like fainting, brief loss of consciousness, sudden lowering of the blood pressure, etc. may be experienced. While AHS is not uncommon, abnormal ECG, echocardiography should be noticed as an alert. High-level athletes should have periodic checks for AHS because if detected early, training regime can be modified.

Yogasanas are a good alternative for an effective AHS reversal as these asanas are gentle on the heart. They minimize the heartbeat thus maximize the heart’s rest period. Meditation like ‘Ujjayi’ pranayama is ideal, as it de-stress and slows down a speeding heart. ‘Shashankasana’ too, can be practised since it is effective in controlling anger, a major factor in increasing the heartbeat.