Now, for any ordinary person, their health is the foremost concern for the entirety of their lives – or it should be. We place a tremendous amount of strain on our heart throughout the course of the day – but for an Olympic athlete, the strain is even greater.
British Olympic snowboard cross athlete Zoe Gillings-Brier is currently deep into preparation for the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang with a rigorous training schedule in the Austrian Alps combined with World Cup events in Germany and Korea.
But she, like many other professional athletes, takes her heart health very seriously and takes every precaution to ensure her heart is as strong as it can be when she’s hurtling down mountains and meandering through the snow.
“I've had two ECGs over the course of my career. One about 10 years ago and one just last year, whilst I also use a heart rate monitor during training sessions to see how my heart is performing.’
‘I take my heart rate every morning before I get out of bed, mainly because it gives me advance warning if I'm getting sick – but it will also let me know if I'm over training, which is important.’
‘It also lets me keep an eye on my resting heart of course. I share all this information with my ‘Strength and Conditioning’ coach so that he can keep an eye on it too.’
And whilst technology plays an important role in the monitoring of the heart and ensuring that the muscle is ready for the pressures of being an Olympic athlete, Zoe also ensures that she’s fuelling her body the right way.
“Obviously I'm very active, whether it be in the gym, outdoor training or events - eating well and ensuring I have a balanced diet is the best way to look after your heart.’
‘If I didn’t eat well, hydrate regularly, watch my weight, exercise and train regularly, all the things which help to strengthen the heart, I would not be able to do what I do.’
When Zoe joined defibshop in 2015, her motivation for doing so was to help us raise awareness of sudden cardiac arrest and the need for more public access defibrillators. Now, Zoe carries a defibrillator with her to every event and training session to protect herself and her team in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest.
Zoe and her team undertook first aid and defibrillator training to ensure that they are as prepared as possible in the event of a cardiac arrest. This has allowed her to concentrate on training hard in preparation for the Olympics knowing that should anything happen, her team are well prepared.
In a recent article that appeared in Action Sports Club, Zoe commented on the need to include a defibrillator as part of first aid kit whilst training and competing:
“Adding a defibrillator to my first aid kit was a decision I took upon myself for protection, safety and peace of mind – not just for me, but for my team and the people around me when I’m in training and competing.
“I had seen the news, and read about the athletes who were suffering cardiac arrests during the sports they love and knew it was time I needed to protect and look after myself as best I could. Having a defibrillator by my side enables me to protect my heart as best I can.”
If you would like to learn more about your heart and how you can help protect and strengthen it through simple diet changes and exercise plans, you can find a host of heart healthy posts in our defibshop blog in support of National Heart Month.
Alternatively if you would like to learn more about cardiac arrest, defibrillators and everything in between, our FAQ page is full of useful information and tips regarding your heart health and how a defibrillator helps during a cardiac emergency.