FEBRUARY 2019 THE RIDER /47 Rider Fitness: Hidden Benefits of Heart Health for Riders


Canada 1/12 people are diag- nosed with heart disease (see Health Canada) which means that many more suffer from non-optimal heart fitness. In other words, 2-4 out of ten riders really need to do something to help their heart health. The first reason, is that you want to stay around to enjoy your horses.


The second reason is that


By Heather Sansom Welcome to 2019! I


know you are reading this a few weeks into the New Year, but


it’s my first


newsletter of the year. The beginning of the New Year is a bonanza for the fitness industry: prime time to get your attention with sales and promotions, capitalizing on those resolutions you made. There is a debate about the value of resolutions. How- ever, whatever you want to call your intentions for 2019, most riders have them. It’s the time of year we think about events we want to be able to participate in with our horses, or objec- tives that we have for train- ing.


While I know many riders


that are keen exercise lifestyle ad- herents, many people who ride will tell me that they are ‘non sporty’ and never considered themselves the athletic type. Rid- ing appeals for many different reasons. This month’s tip is about making an appeal to riders to take care of your heart health this year. There are several good reasons to do so.


The issue that concerns me


from the perspective of your longevity as a rider, is heart health. Heart health is a wide- spread population issue. In


heart health is all about how your heart pumps oxygen-


health though is the fact that you may not even know how unfit you are. Before you ever start huffing and puffing, your heart is working hard to respond to the demands of your ride. Endurance riders put heart rate monitors on their horses so that they can see heart strain long before physical outward signs (breathing heavy, sweating, reducing speed) be- come apparent. Heart strain is not good. What is happening is that your heart is silently working extra hard to meet your needs. Since the heart pump mechanism is stimulated by electrical currents, your heart is getting more than it needs. It’s like revving an engine too high in a low gear: you may make it, but it’s not doing any good for your car. Effectively,


you’re


stressing your heart out. Most people don’t real- ize that their heart is being strained as much as it is by riding, but re- search has shown that it does for several decades (see Westerling article, reference is below). Pro- longed stress is what leads to inflammation and disease conditions


carrying blood to your body. It’s about oxygen for cells, and circu- lation you need to feel accurately, and respond accurately when you are riding. So, good cardio-vas- cular health improves your body awareness, aids, balance and muscle tone throughout your ride. Being able to manage your body better helps you stay out of your horse’s way, minimizing the like- lihood of your body position and usage causing him to compen- sate, leading to back soreness or soundness issues. The key reason that I get


concerned about riders’ heart


over time. Then, later in life or at an inopportune moment, a med- ical situation occurs, or your doc- tor gives you stern warning. According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the majority of heart disease related issues can be prevented by healthy lifestyle. Also, heart attacks can and do occur for people with active lifestyles who consider them- selves healthy, when they exceed the amount of cumulative strain their heart can handle. Your heart not only manages demand in the saddle, but also when your blood pressure rises at the office, in traf-


CHANGE OF ADDRESS AFFIX OLD ADDRESS HERE


fic, thinking about your to-do list, or dealing with other con- cerns in your life. Now, the good news for


riders is that you do not necessar- ily have to go to a gym or take up jogging to tune up your body’s combustion engine. The Heart and Stroke and Cardiac founda- tions in Canada mainly promote more walking. The main idea is that whatever your cardio-vascu- lar activities are now, the goal is to kick it up a notch. Don’t rush out there and over-do it, espe- cially if you are over 50. What you want to do instead, is plan a realistic, achievable, enjoyable way to increase the number of minutes per day/week that you intentionally elevate your heart rate above what you think you


ing, strength training and many other wellbeing and conditioning activities also have benefits, you cannot meditate your heart mus- cle into physical growth or less strain if it is unfit. Some tools can be helpful,


like heart rate monitoring. If you don’t have a Fitbit or similar de- vice, you can always check your pulse manually.If you don’t have a step counter, you can always time the minutes spent in ele- vated heart rate.It’s important to train within your zone though, especially if you are over 50 so that your exercise trains, not strains, your heart.Everyone can improve their heart health: every age, body shape and general fit- ness level.If you have a leg in- jury, you can use arm and torso


not commit to having the heart for it?


References and Links: Health


Canada i c


https://www.canada.ca/en/pub- l


link: -


health/services/publications/dise ases-conditions/heart-disease- canada.html Heart and Stroke Foundation: https://www.heartandstroke.ca/g et-healthy Westerling, D. (1983). A study of physical demands in riding. Eu- ropean journal of applied physi- ology


and


physiology, 50(3), 373-382. Re- trieved


https://link.springer.com/article/1 0.1007/BF00423243


occupational from


need for riding. Slow, steady and consistent is the key.You do not even need to do the same activity multiple times a week. The heart is a muscle.By


training your heart, you increase the size of the chambers which allows your heart to pump less vigorously to get the same amount of blood and oxygen around your body as it needs.Es- sentially, your heart is more able to say ‘I got this’ without the strain when you are in the sad- dle.While mindfulness, stretch-


exercises.If you are significantly overweight, HeartWise programs start with just getting out there and walking in little speed inter- vals.Since most people in North America could improve their heart health, getting your friends and family into it would do them a service too.Whatever you choose to do, remember to warm up and cool down, for the same reasons you make sure you do the same for your horse. We ride because horses


are in our hearts and blood.Why Advertise Your


Business Here for as little as


$33 per month


Name: Address: City: Prov.:


Phone Number:


Postal Code: Date:


Send To: The Rider, P.O. Box 378, Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0 (905) 387-1900 • email: barry@therider.com


in print AND online!! Call 905-387-1900 or email


barry@therider.com


© Heather R. Sansom, PhD. www.equifitt.com


Personal Trainer, Riding Coach, Recreation Therapist Fitness, biomechanics and riding instruction. Personalized Coaching Available online Check out the 9 week rider fit- ness plan book- available in print or


as a download!: www.equifitt.com/fit2ride/


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