Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with cardiovascular

Make me fitter!

Petrot — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:57:11 -0800

Can I improve my cardiovascular fitness within 2 weeks, from an already fairly acceptable level? I am an intermittent runner, running about 30-40mins per session, but the sessions being maybe once a week, up to maybe 3 times a fortnight. My pace is generally 7-7.5mph.

In just over two weeks I have to perform a Multi-stage fitness test. (Up to level 10.2) I will be able to do it. But it needs to be done comfortably well. This I'm not so sure about.

In the next two weeks, can I raise my cardiovascular levels significantly?
Will I be able to do this by running almost every day? What is the best way to do this well, and safely?

I have read this previous AskMe about raising cardiovascular levels, but it deals with raising levels from very low in more than a fortnight.

Any advice is great appreciated!

Is a 28.3 CRP level really awful?

otherwordlyglow — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:46:21 -0800

My blood work came back with a C Reactive Protein level of 28.3 mg/L. Normal range is <6.3. Should I be freaking out as much as I am? I was having hip pain after starting a new running regimin a few months ago. It got really bad, I saw my primary care doctor and she sent me off to physical therapy and eventually to a orthopedist who specializes in sports medicine and ordered x-rays. Apart from some calcification in my hip and apparent weakness in my affected side, there doesn't seem to anything obviously wrong. She also ordered some bloodwork at the same time which showed borderline high triglycerides, too low HDL cholesterol but total cholesterol is average. But the CRP level is quite elevated (28.3).

Doc is sending me to see a rheumatologist next as she thinks the high CRP level indicates inflammation that could be the explanation for the hip pain but might be indicative of something more.

But of course now I read about elevated CRP levels and how it's associated with cardiovascular risk and that along with my somewhat problematic cholesterol levels has me a little freaked out. I do plan on calling her back to get a better explanation of the CRP thing but does this sound plausible that the CRP levels would just be from a hip injury?

41, female, mostly healthy.

Is it a disease or not?

ryanissuper — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:26:19 -0800

Is antiphospholipid syndrome considered a cardiovascular disease? My doctor recently prescribed me Nortriptyline for the prevention of headaches. While researching the medicine before I started taking it, I noticed that many sited advise using caution while taking this drug if you have a history of cardiovascular disease.

I have had two pulmonary embolisms (emboli?) I am currently taking coumadin (INR ~3.5).

Would this be considered a cardiovascular disease. I have been told that antiphosphlipid syndrome was a problem with the immune system and not really a disease, and I can't seem to find any clarification on the web.

RUN, FAT BOY, RUN

scrump — Tue, 13 May 2008 14:50:59 -0800

How do I go from out-of-shape to a baseline level of fitness in a relatively short time without giving myself a heart attack or a stroke? So a coworker is rustling up people for a recreational soccer league. I love soccer, but I'm 36, about 50 pounds out of shape and haven't played since 1986. Despite this, my coworker persists in believing that I'll have fun doing this, and I have to say that he's probably right.

I just need to undo, er, about 22 years of bad habits.

What I think I want to do is improve my cardiovascular fitness in a relatively short period of time (say 3 months or 12 weeks) without injuring myself in so doing. I want to be able to run the field, for instance, without getting excessively winded or seeing spots.

I'm not looking for quick fixes: I realize that there's no easy way to achieve fitness. What I'm looking for is a realistic training/nutrition plan (I have 5-day-a-week gym access) that will build a good foundation for continuing improvement. Something that will give me a solid base that I can improve on year after year.

So what's the quickest safe way to tune up your cardio without injury?

Rowing Machine Recommendations on a budget

thelost — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 15:55:55 -0800

alternative rowing machines to the expensive concept 2's? I want to buy my first rowing machine. I've spoken to friends and they all recommend the Concept2 series, the same seems to hold true on Ask.Mefi as people like it here too.

Unfortunately, the Concept2 is pretty expensive and while not beyond my means, I would rather start off with something cheaper. Can anyone recommend cheaper alternatives? What advantages would I lose?