Starting An Exercise Program, Part 2

Medical Questionnaire.  The following will help you to decide whether it is important or optional to see the doctor before starting an exercise training program.  If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, consult your physician before beginning an exercise program.

1. Hidden or overt heart disease 
• Has a doctor ever said you had heart trouble?
• Have you ever had rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease?
• Did you ever have or do you now have a heart murmur?
• Have you ever had a real or suspected coronary occlusion, myocardial infarction, coronary attack, coronary insufficiency, heart attack or coronary thrombosis?
• Do you have angina pectoris?
• Have you ever had an abnormal electrocardiogram or ECG?
• Have you ever had an electrocardiogram taken while you were exercising (such as climbing up and down steps) which was not normal?
• Have you ever had pain or pressure or a squeezing feeling in the chest which came on during exercise or walking or any other physical or sexual activity?
• If you climb a few flights of stairs fairly rapidly, do you have tightness or pressure in your chest?
• Do you get pressure, pain or tightness in the chest if you walk in the cold wind or get a cold blast of air?
• Have you had bouts of rapid heart action, irregular heart action or palpitations?
• Have you ever taken digitalis, quinidine or any drug for your heart?
• Have you ever been given nitroglycerin, sometimes labeled TNG or NTG or any tablets for chest pain which you use by placing them under the tongue? 

2. Other heart attack risk factors
• Do you have diabetes, high blood sugar or sugar in the urine now?  Or at any time in the past?
• Have you ever or do you now have high blood pressure or hypertension?
• Have you been on a diet or taken medications to lower your blood cholesterol?
• Are you more than 20 pounds heavier than you should be?
• Do you now smoke more than a pack and a half of cigarettes per day?
• Has there been more than one heart attack or person with heart trouble in your family before age 60?

(In succeeding postings, we will discuss certain situations which indicate that you are doing too much; what are the warnings and what to do about them. - J.P.)