– It is quite frightening. I am relatively young considering the average number of people who have a heart attack, says Øyvind Jacobsen. After a long time without proper training and a year as a “support member” at a training centre, he had made his New Year’s resolution. Now he was going to start training. It went rather badly. – When I finished, I felt enormous pain in my chest. Fortunately, I had the foresight to call 113. They understood the seriousness, and I was taken to the hospital by ambulance for immediate surgery, says Jacobsen. ILDSJEL: Jacobsen is passionate about football and is involved in the Brodd sports team. Photo: Ole Andreas Bø / news It was a scary operation, where Jacobsen was conscious throughout the entire sequence. He had surgery to insert a stent. It aims to keep a narrow part of a vein or blood vessel open. – It was special. I was very scared. I have to admit that, he says. That the training provoked the heart attack may have been an advantage, his doctor has said. – The reason is that you then become more aware of the pain and make it clear that you have had a heart attack, says Jacobsen. He is clear that it was not the exercise that caused the heart attack, but rather years of lack of exercise, poor diet and genetic causes. Jacobsen is a well-known man to many in the Stavanger area. He is a local politician for the Labor Party, a speaker at Vikings’ home games and a zealot in the Brodd sports team. – Don’t fear training Training as a New Year’s resolution is the most common goal Norwegians set for the new year, according to doctor and associate professor at Innlandet University College, Ole Petter Hjelle, also known as the fitness doctor in social media. But one should not be alarmed by stories like this. – A lot of research has been done on this. The best thing you can do for your heart is exercise. And like to train hard. What is really scary for your heart is inactivity, says Hjelle. Ole Petter Hjelle is a doctor and associate professor at Innlandet University College. Photo: Hege Therese Holtung / news Figures from the Norwegian Directorate of Health show that adults and the elderly in Norway spend an average of just over 60 percent of their waking time resting. And 70-75 percent of Norwegians are defined as inactive, according to the Public Health Survey 2020, under the auspices of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. – Seen in light of this, exercise as a New Year’s resolution is very good, he says. Heart-healthy people with no underlying disease, who want to start training, have nothing to fear. – When we hear such stories, it is almost always about people who have had underlying heart diseases they did not know about, says the training doctor. But the fitness doctor wants to strike a blow for a careful start to training. It is not that hard training is dangerous for the heart, but it minimizes the risk of stress injuries and strengthens motivation and coping. – I think the most important reason why 80 percent of New Year’s resolutions fail is that we set the list too high. We are going to do too much at once, says Hjelle. The fitness doctor has four concrete tips for those who want to get started after a longer training break. The exercise doctor’s four tips for starting exercise Choose an activity you actually enjoy. It’s the only thing you manage to stick with over time. The health benefits are independent of what you do, as long as you get your heart rate up. Train with someone, then it becomes more binding. You double the probability of succeeding with your New Year’s resolution if you do it this way. Keep at it long enough for it to become a habit, so that it becomes a natural part of everyday life. Motivation gets you out the door. The habit keeps you going. Then you may have to keep at it for a few months before it becomes a habit. Start carefully. Don’t make the list too high. It’s about mastery. Set yourself small milestones at a time. Now the road to a healthier life begins Back at the hospital, it seems that the operation has been successful for Jacobsen. And he cannot be praised enough by the doctors at the heart department at Stavanger University Hospital. – There was a fantastic surgeon there, who the whole region should be happy to handle that type of thing, he says. MONITORED: Jacobsen’s heart rhythm is closely monitored at the hospital. Photo: Ole Andreas Bø / news For Jacobsen, the heart attack probably came as a combination of a lot of stress, poor diet, little exercise and possible genetic connections. Now there will be a change. Now the diet has to change and the heart has to work a little. – They say that after a heart attack you should start physical activity quickly. Then there will be another sick call for a week and two. I’m not going to relax at home on the sofa. I want to live when I have the chance to live a little extra, he says. – Do you see it as having cheated death? – That’s probably not the right term. But it puts things into perspective. You get a second chance. I can live with that. I intend to win a few more elections, see Viking win a number of games and would like to see Brodd promoted, he says. – What is the most important advice you can give to others who find themselves in such a situation? – Dare to call 113. It was probably absolutely crucial for me to get out of it well, he says.
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The New Year’s resolution ended with a heart attack for Øyvind Jacobsen (47) – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
