Recreational athletes should regularly undergo fitness tests

Exercising is healthy! However, before your first workout or after a long break from sport, you should have a medical examination to see if your body can handle the strain.

Sports is important, no question about it. Regular exercise contributes significantly to a healthy life, among other things because it strengthens muscles, bones and the cardiovascular system and reduces the risk of obesity. "But before people who don't like sports suddenly start an active life, they should get a medical check-up to see whether their body is as ready for the demands as their mind. This also applies to all those who want to start exercising again after a long break," recommends Dr. Reinhold Lunow, internist and medical director of the practice clinic Bornheim near Cologne and Bonn.

Fitness Check – the special health check

Such a fitness check at the Bornheim practice clinic includes, among other things, an examination of the resilience of the circulatory system using the bicycleErgometrie. At the same time, a lactate step test is carried out. For this, blood is taken from the earlobe. "Determining the lactic acid concentration allows conclusions to be drawn about the level of training and the current level of performance. At the same time, heart rate and blood pressure are continuously measured," explains Dr. Lunow. Various blood values ​​are also determined and the heart is examined more closely by checking the permeability of the coronary arteries using color echocardiography. The fitness test takes about two hours in total.

Results enable concrete training recommendations

"The overall test results enable us to give you individual training recommendations and advise you on which sport is best for you and how often you should do it," advises Dr. Lunow. "We can also give you specific tips on how to structure your training. For example, the heart rate-lactate curve shows at what level of exertion the muscles start to become over-acidified, i.e. a level of exertion that should be avoided during training. The optimal heart rate for fat burning can also be determined; this training value is ideal for reducing weight."

objectively demonstrate training success

It is best for recreational athletes to have a health check once a year. This also provides an objective indication of training success, e.g. in terms of physical resilience and body fat percentage. In addition to the fitness check, the Bornheim practice clinic offers a whole range of other preventive services. "Please feel free to contact us, we will put together your individual examination program," emphasizes the medical director of the practice clinic. Image source: www.internisten-im-netz.de