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You should also check with your doctor if you have symptoms suggestive of
heart, lung, or other serious disease, such as:
• Pain or discomfort in your chest, neck, jaw, or arms during physical activity;
• Dizziness or loss of consciousness;
• Shortness of breath with mild exertion or at rest, or when lying down or
going to bed;
• Ankle swelling, especially at night;
• A heart murmur or a rapid or pronounced heartbeat;
• Muscle pain when walking upstairs or up a hill that goes away when you rest.
Finally, it is recommended that you see your doctor before engaging in vigorous
exercise if two or more of the following apply:
• You are a man older than age 45 or a woman older than age 55;
• You have a family history of heart disease before age 55;
• You smoke or quit smoking in the past six months;
• You have not exercised for three months or more;
• You are overweight or obese;
• You have high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
• You have impaired glucose tolerance, also called pre-diabetes.
