A company manager was told exercise could kill him because his heart was like a “time bomb” who defied doctors’ orders by becoming a gym bunny. Father-of-two Amir Ali, 43, was diagnosed with life-threatening right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) in October 2015, after experiencing chest pain and palpitations he had largely ignored.
ARVC, a disease of the heart muscle, causes the heart’s normal electrical signals to be interrupted. It can cause life-threatening arrhythmias – an irregular heartbeat – and sudden death and advised to stop exercising.
But after accumulating pounds during the second lockdown, Amir, who lives with his wife Rehab, 35, a housewife mother, and their children Zakaria, 11, and Mohammed, 8, in Ealing, west London, took drastic action, saying: “I knew that My heart was a time bomb. I had no idea when to surrender.”
He added, “Then, during the second lockdown, I carried a lot of weight. I was never heavy and knew I needed professional help. I have children, a family, a life to live. All of that could have stopped at any moment.”
So, even though his cardiologist advised him to give up exercising because raising his heart rate could be life-threatening, Amir hired a personal trainer and started exercising three times a week.
He said, “After my diagnosis I was living in fear. Since I started training, I’ve lost nearly 4 times, stopped heart palpitations and had my heart checks reduced every six months to once a year. My doctors are happy with my progress and I feel stronger and fitter” .
Prior to his diagnosis, Amir was extremely fit. He was a karate black belt, enjoyed frequent soccer matches, was a regular gym and walked for miles on most days. He had no idea he was in such a danger, saying, “I used to think heart palpitations were perfectly normal and assumed everyone had it.
“I thought it happened the same way your stomach rumbled. I’ve had it daily for years. I’m not someone to go to the doctor. I only did it when the pain hadn’t stopped for six months.”
Amir then underwent a series of tests that revealed scars in his heart and led to his diagnosis of ARVC. Doctors also prescribed him medications to treat heart failure and high blood pressure and recommended surgery to install an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), an electronic device that is surgically implanted near his heart to regulate any abnormal rhythms.
Initially turning it down, Amir relented and installed an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator in March 2020. But during the Covid lockdowns, he has seen his sedentary lifestyle pile on the pounds, and as a result, he suffers from frequent heart palpitations, as well as shortness of breath and feels His life was “too fragile”.
But, despite the risks, Amir contacted global personal training company Ultimate Performance and was hooked up to PT Emma Kershaw in July 2021. Taking every measure possible to ensure his safety, I designed a diet and exercise program for him that has been referenced by him. The doctor who watched him carefully.
Amir said, “Emma was great. I call her my second mom because she took such good care of me. I watched every new exercise to see the stress it puts on my heart.”
Still training with Emma three times a week, he said, “I haven’t had a heart palpitation in months. If I lose my breath, it only happens for seconds.”
“I’m feeling better than ever, and my doctor said that since my last medical reports, they now only need to see me once a year.”
Emma added: “Working with Amir meant we had to be wiser in that we needed to be incredibly careful about choosing exercises and working within specific heart rate zones.”
Dr Konstantinos Savvatis, Consultant Cardiologist at London Bridge Hospital (part of HCA UK) warned of the importance of taking medical advice before exercising after an ARVC diagnosis. He said: “Exercise limitation plays an important role in the management of patients diagnosed with ART and exercise advice is an essential part of every consultation.
“Various studies have shown that prolonged and intense exercise can have a negative effect on the severity of the condition and the risk of ventricular arrhythmias, and even cardiac arrest.
“The current recommendation in patients with ARVC is to avoid endurance and high-intensity exercise. Unfortunately, there is little evidence on the amount and type of exercise that is safe in ARVC. It is recommended that all ARVC patients discuss exercise advice with their cardiomyopathy physician.”
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