Submaximal Graded Exercise Testing & Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome, commonly known as "syndrome X," is one of the leading predictors for cardiac arrest and heart failure. Performing exercise testing on individuals with metabolic syndrome can be a tricky affair, as you do not want to accidentally overstimulate their cardiovascular system when they are already predisposed to disease. In cases like these, submaximal exercise testing can provide a solid alternative designed to ensure the safety of the patient.
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Metabolic Syndrome
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Metabolic syndrome is the official name for a patient who is suffering from a combination of the following three conditions: pre-diabetes (excessive insulin resistance), hypertension (high blood pressure), and high cholesterol levels. metabolic syndrome can result in the development of stroke, full-blown diabetes, or coronary artery disease. Poor diet and lack of exercise are the most frequent causes of developing metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic Syndrome Treatment
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According to the experts at Google Health, the generally accepted course of treatment for dealing with metabolic syndrome is to treat the underlying health conditions that are the cause of the disorder. For example, if the individual is eating an extremely poor diet and is suffering from obesity, normalizing weight and diet is the first step to defeating metabolic syndrome. Likewise, if the patient is adverse to exercise, regular training and exercise testing can help to alleviate the problem.
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Submaximal Exercise Testing
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According to an article written by Elizabeth Dean which was published in the August 2000 edition of Physical Therapy, submaximal exercise testing is the generally accepted method of measuring overall aerobic capacity. Submaximal exercise testing is performed by having the individual conduct a series of cardiovascular tests (usually walking or jogging on a treadmill) while his maximal rate of oxygen consumption of measured. Where, over time, the maximum amount of oxygen used for a test decreases, progress has been made towards fitness.
Benefits
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The primary use of submaximal exercise testing is for individuals who are not in peak condition, whereby conducting maximal exercise testing (running flat-out) would pose a danger to their health. This makes submaximal exercise testing an ideal tool for the use of evaluating individuals with metabolic disorder, as their impaired physical state makes conducting traditional maximal testing both impracticable and unsafe.
Considerations
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Note that while the best way to conduct submaximal exercise testing is under the supervision of your doctor, you can conduct your own pseudo-submaximal exercise test at your gym. Simply perform 20 to 30 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity (such as brisk walking), then mentally rate the difficulty of the exercise on a scale of one to ten. Test yourself under the same conditions a month or two later, and if the exercise seems easier, your condition has likely improved for the better.
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