Jim Kaveney’s story is a reminder that heart conditions like atrial fibrillation can strike at any age. Learn how he turned his experience into Unlimited Heart.
#JimKaveney #UnlimitedHeart #AtrialFibrillation #AFibAwareness #YoungAthletes #HeartRisk #CardiacHealth #FitnessAndWellness
#JimKaveney #UnlimitedHeart #AtrialFibrillation #AFibAwareness #YoungAthletes #HeartRisk #CardiacHealth #FitnessAndWellness
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00:00Transcription by CastingWords
00:30Transcription by CastingWords
01:00I'm not familiar with that. Could you maybe enlighten me on what this is?
01:07So atrial fibrillation is the world's number one arrhythmia. And so what is an arrhythmia?
01:16So an arrhythmia is basically when your heart is not beating in sync or normal sinus rhythm, right? So for atrial fibrillation, the fibrillation is a term that basically means it quivers, right? So what happens? So if I can visually present my hands to you here.
01:35So the top being the atria, which is the top chambers of your heart, and the ventricles are the bottom chambers, the atria actually quiver in a very erratic pattern.
01:45And so when they do that, unfortunately what happens is the blood can pool and not easily flow normally like it would to the ventricles, then get pushed out to the heart like a normal sinus rhythm heart would.
02:00And so what's the risk with that is actually is a 500% increase in stroke with patients have AFib.
02:09And that's because because the heart's not beating correctly, the blood can pool up and then clot.
02:17And then when it goes into normal rhythm or there is a beat, that blood clot can get pushed out of the ventricles and goes out to the brain and eventually, invariably, you have a stroke.
02:28And so that's the short order of what atrial fibrillation is.
02:33It is the number one arrhythmia disease in the world, but it is also something that can be managed potentially through lifestyle modification.
02:44Okay. So, wow. So this disease, I mean, when I researched about it earlier before you went, I got to talk to you.
02:55It's something related to a heart attack, but it's not. It's lighter. Am I right?
03:00Yeah. So the two key differences or the one key difference between us.
03:06So atrial fibrillation is an electrical issue where a heart attack is the plumbing issue.
03:13And so a heart attack is when your blood vessels leave that surround your heart itself are clogged.
03:21So that's, as well, a bad situation, but that's far more dangerous, obviously, than AFib, where AFib is an electrical issue and can be corrected.
03:33The heart attack is usually related to anything with plumbing.
03:38So if you have cholesterol, high cholesterol, those types of things, that can be addressed by diet, exercise as well.
03:44Okay. In your case, how did you find out that you had this illness? I mean, or was it something that you've been monitoring?
03:52Yeah, no. So for me, it actually started in college.
03:56Oh, so college. That's a long time.
03:59Yeah. So it was a long time. I was, I can't remember, 20, 21, something like that, when I started having some issues.
04:06I didn't know it was, I was not formally diagnosed with atrial fibrillation at the time, but I found myself while I was working out, that when I was working out, I'd be in normal, I would be in my normal heart rate rhythm for my workouts.
04:21But then I would jump up, and that was normally, by the way, 130 to 135 beats per minute was where my threshold was for working out.
04:28And then I would jump up to 185 beats per minute, just within one second. My heart would just take off, and I wouldn't change any of my exertion or anything.
04:38And then just as fast as that happened, it could also snap right back out of it. And so it did. And so I'd go from 185 beats per minute, that would hold that for a few minutes, and then I would snap right back down to the 130.
04:49And there was no explanation for it. And so, not to say that I ignored it, but in essence, I ignored it, because I was young, I was 20-some years old, like, this is not a problem.
05:00Well, I graduated from college, I stopped rowing, and then it never bothered me again until I was diagnosed with it at the age of 38.
05:08And that's when some more of the symptoms started presenting themselves to me, passing out, feeling lightheaded, dizziness, heart palpitations, kind of feeling like there's a freight train going through your chest.
05:23Those were the signs and the symptoms that I actually presented with.
05:27Okay, so correct me if I'm wrong, because when I read it about it earlier, it affects mostly the people of age already.
05:33But in your case, you were only 21, and you already had it. Am I right?
05:39That is correct, actually. And there's more and more data that is showing that folks in rowing, in particular, is one of those, where people that are, and I know your name of your show is Sports Byte, so for folks that are athletic and do extreme sports, so let's think about what those are, right?
05:57So that is ultra-marathoning or aggressive swimming or cycling or rowing, right?
06:04So anything that takes and pushes your heart consistently at a very, very high rate, you are actually increasing your likelihood of potentially having exercise-induced arrhythmia.
06:16And there's lots of data to prove that that is the case.
06:21And so, you know, for instance, and this is not to say that exercise is bad, because exercise is not bad, but doing too much too aggressively for a long period of time can put you at risk for developing, in essence, an exercise-induced arrhythmia.
06:37Okay, so you mean people at risk? You were saying rowing. The first thing that comes into my mind is the people that I know who force themselves, are the ones who do triathlon.
06:51Does this mean that they should have it checked or anything like that?
06:55Well, so here's the thing. The only reason why they should have it checked is if they start to notice something strange with themselves, right?
07:02And what are those strange things? And so, for instance, it's, you know, you've been training for years, you're doing great.
07:07And then all of a sudden, when you're out and you're working out, and then you notice that your heart rate is jumping up, or you notice that you're starting to get lightheaded or dizzy, those types of things.
07:17Like, that's not normal, right?
07:18So that's when you should slow down and go and check with your cardiologist to say, hey, is something else happening because I'm feeling different when I work out?
07:27Okay, so it's really a must for any athlete, for that matter, because most athletes right now, they really push themselves to perform, to practice.
07:39Well, practice, they do it a lot worse now. They push themselves to the limit.
07:43They do. And it's not to say that those sports are bad. But it's just to say that, just take notice and be aware that, you know, things can go awry. And you should probably just make sure you're not pushing yourself too hard.
07:59So this answers one of my questions I was going to ask you. I mean, is there a certain age anyone should see a cardiologist? I mean, so taking what happened to you, I mean, what's the best age for a person to see a cardiologist now?
08:16Yeah, well, I mean, I was ultimately 38 when I was formally diagnosed with it. And the only reason why I needed to go see a cardiologist was because of what was happening.
08:28So I don't think there's a, I don't want everybody rushing out to go see a cardiologist. But, you know, with modern technology and everything we have between our watches and our, you know, monitors that everybody's wearing while they're working out, you know, sometimes those devices might be able to detect an AFib situation or an arrhythmia situation.
08:50And if an alarm bell goes off on one of those things, that might be a sign to say, hmm, something doesn't seem to be right. Maybe this device is accurate. Maybe it's your watch saying that, hey, I detected AFib. Then maybe you need to go in and check with your cardiologist.
09:04Okay, Jim, we're coming off the holidays. I mean, everybody was practically on break. Everybody was feasting, right? Nobody was doing much workouts and everything.
09:14But the common thing that everyone does after the holidays is they have to burn these calories off, the weight, right?
09:24I mean, some push it to the limit. What's your strategy? How should someone approach that? How should they approach that?
09:32So, I mean, I think it's everything's in moderation, right? So obviously, you know, yeah, it probably took, you know, between the holidays, you have a solid week of eating and drinking and things like that.
09:42But I would just start slow, right? And, you know, because you certainly don't want to go too hard too fast.
09:49But just, you know, everything, just increase the threshold every single day and start to eliminate the foods and the drink, really.
09:56Because we know specifically with atrial fibrillation that there are triggers that can induce an AFib event to happen.
10:05And that is, that's alcohol, that's stress, that in some cases, some foods can do that as well.
10:12So you get to know what your triggers are, and you eliminate those.
10:15But, you know, for folks that are trying to get back into shape, now we, here we are in the middle of February.
10:20Yeah.
10:21You know, just start to make those, eliminate those behaviors that got you to that point.
10:25And then just, it might take a little bit longer, but it'll be longer lasting if you don't rush into it.
10:32People at a certain age, like, let's say the 30s, like you, do they have to ask the doctor or judge anything,
10:40how, what kind of, how they should do their exercise or lose their weight?
10:45Well, you know, and, you know, I think everybody, and it's always a warning for any new exercise routine,
10:51is to check with your physician before you start, you know, any lifestyle modification,
10:55just to make sure it's not going to be too, too much.
10:58So I think that would be the standard thing is just, listen, if you are, you know, for, for an instance,
11:03like if you're in really bad shape, if you're really overweight and things like that,
11:07and you try to go aggressive, like that could put you into some risk.
11:11So definitely would want to make sure that you're being coached and guided by somebody
11:15that is a professional, if, if you're not aware of what, what the right things to do are.
11:23So, okay, since it is 2025, and we're trying to hopefully be healthy this year.
11:33What are the, what are some heart health solutions you could recommend to those who are watching right now?
11:39Yeah, and I think that probably the most important things, and this is, I mean, I'm 50 years old now.
11:45Oh, okay.
11:46So, yeah, so for me, you know, for me, what I do is I walk a lot.
11:52You know, I know everybody says, let's do 10,000 steps a day, try to do that, right?
11:55And so I have a dog, and so, you know, I walk anywhere between 20 and 25 miles a week.
12:00It seems like a lot, but it's me going out for a 45-minute walk with my dog, because he needs to, because I want him to be tired out, right?
12:09Because that's a tired dog is a good dog, as we all say, right?
12:11And so, so for me, even just walking alone is such a beneficial exercise.
12:18And I don't, I get my heart rate up, I don't get too tired, but I'm getting it level two, level two working out.
12:25But I think the other thing which is really important for the heart is, well, we'll talk about diet, but let's finish up with the exercise side of things, is lifting weights.
12:33You know, just lifting heavy weights, because, you know, again, I'm 50, and so as we're getting older, our, you know, our muscle starts to decrease, our testosterone goes down, all those things, at least from a guy's perspective.
12:45But we know that what's most beneficial for getting in shape and burning fat is lifting weights and building muscle.
12:52So, you know, probably two, three times a week, doing some sort of heavy lift of some weight.
12:58And when we look at diet, you know, one of the key things there, and it's not to say don't enjoy food, like absolutely enjoy food, but eat whole foods.
13:08And so what do I mean by that is single ingredients, you know, you don't want to open up anything that is in a package that has a thousand ingredients in it, not good for you.
13:19You know, you don't know what kind of preservatives or kind of things that will kind of mess up what's normally supposed to be existing in your body.
13:26But eat nuts and fruits.
13:29You know, there's a big push towards the Mediterranean diet, which is some fish, there's berries, lots of fruits, lots of vegetables, and low consumption of alcohol, right?
13:42And just by following those, and you can still enjoy it, and they taste wonderful, right?
13:46You can flavor those to taste beautifully.
13:49And so those are the key things, really, to help out in creating a healthy heart.
13:53Okay, I got a question for you on that.
13:56You said nuts.
13:58What if you have a high uric acid?
14:00Just let me know.
14:01That's my problem.
14:02Not a problem for me.
14:04Yeah, that's it.
14:05Well, that I guess I would talk to a dietician who's probably far more educated than I am when it comes to the high uric acid.
14:13So you have gout then?
14:15Yes, I do.
14:16Actually, I just came from one.
14:18Okay, yeah.
14:20So I guess to your point, you'd probably be far more educated in that and what's the right thing to do there.
14:28Well, part of it is diet, actually.
14:30And avoid those beans and those stuff and everything.
14:34Yeah, red meats and all that kind of stuff, right?
14:37How does a positive mindset help you improve your overall well-being?
14:42Yeah, so the mindset is really important, right, for a couple of reasons.
14:48And as you can see the picture behind me, right, it's a half heart, half mind.
14:53And the key thing here is what I like to say is, like, you need both the physical mind and the physical heart to be in sync, so to be unlimited.
15:02But you also need the metaphorical, right?
15:04Because you need to make sure that the right thoughts are going through your mind every single day in order to say, I can, if you have a challenge.
15:12Like, take yourself, for instance, Brian, you had your heart attack.
15:16Like, you could have sat back and said, you know, woe is me.
15:19Like, this is horrible.
15:20I'm not going to do anything about it.
15:21I'm just going to let my life fall to pieces.
15:24I don't think – I don't know.
15:25I'm just meeting you now for the first time.
15:27Based upon the way you're talking, that's not the way you're living.
15:30And so you're probably getting up.
15:31And it's not to say that you don't face struggles and you don't have challenges every day because we all do.
15:36Yes.
15:37But it's just to say, I'm going to do something better for myself.
15:40I'm not going to let this get the best of me.
15:42And how do I rise above?
15:44Because that's really where it is.
15:46Because it's – if you really want to rise above the challenges, you have to embrace the challenges that you have.
15:53And a key thing that I talk about, Brian, is embracing your mortality.
15:58And what do I mean by that, right?
16:00I mean, we're all going to die at some point.
16:02Yes.
16:02But I don't want to look at it from a morbid perspective.
16:04I want to look at it as like, I only have so much time on this earth.
16:08How can I do really cool things for myself?
16:11And how can I do really cool things for others?
16:14So – and that's ultimately where we start to live a very healthy lifestyle between a nice strong heart and mind.
16:21You were talking about the unlimited heart thing.
16:25Can you – how – why did you focus on this?
16:29I mean, what made you bring it up because of what happened to you or something else?
16:35Yeah.
16:35So, precisely.
16:37One of the key things that I was told – it was interesting.
16:40So, I'm also an entrepreneur, right?
16:43So, I started my own business.
16:46And I sold my business back in 2020.
16:49And people came to me and said, you should write a book.
16:52You're a genius.
16:52You sold your business.
16:53And I'm like, no, I don't – I'm not a – I'm just a hardworking, small business person
16:57who's blessed and did the right things and this is what happened.
17:02And I never felt like I was any different than any of the other millions of small businesses that are out there.
17:08However, somebody said to me, well, when you figure out what your purpose is, that's when you write a book.
17:14And so, I figured out what my purpose was.
17:16And I said, hey, I went through an awful lot.
17:18You know, an eight-year journey of my atrial fibrillation diagnosis came very close to dying.
17:24I didn't, obviously.
17:25And I said, I don't want to just say I experienced those without anybody else benefiting from my story.
17:31So, that's why I wrote the book.
17:33And it's an interesting thing because I – while the book is all about me, the story is truly not about me.
17:40It's about what other people can – how other people can benefit from it.
17:44And so, I wrote the book and then now I've also launched Unlimited Heart Health and Wellness,
17:50which is a health and wellness company that is focusing on helping other patients and people in general
17:56that are struggling with their challenges to get them access to stuff around diet, exercise, mindfulness,
18:03and, you know, willingness to change is really what we're striving to do
18:07and really provide a system for those patients and people to make a difference in their life.
18:11How many people are helping you here or are involved in this?
18:17Are there a lot?
18:17How many people?
18:18Yeah.
18:19Oh, that are building the company out?
18:21Yeah.
18:22Yeah, there's – we've got a full team.
18:24And so, not only is it myself, but we also have, you know, another organization in the United States here called Nudge Health.
18:32Now, we're strategic partners.
18:34We have close to 100-some individuals that are doing that, and we have thousands of patients that are on our platform.
18:40Okay.
18:41Let's go beyond ourselves.
18:43I mean, we have our relatives and patients who are older than us who would likely be more susceptible to that illness.
18:52And so, what's the best thing we can do to help them or at least some preventive maintenance for them?
18:58Yeah, and that's a great question, right?
19:00So, and the simple answer, because it's not simply addressed, is lifestyle modification.
19:08Okay.
19:08And so, there's – and I'll specifically talk about atrial fibrillation.
19:12You know, the new AFib guidelines that were just released in the United States about a year and a half or so ago, you know, they – there used to be four pillars of how you approach the management of atrial fibrillation.
19:25Stroke prevention being number one, because stroke is the biggest risk factor.
19:28Then it was heart rate, heart rhythm, and then the fourth pillar was lifestyle modification.
19:35But now, the new guidelines that just came out, as I said, said stroke prevention is the first pillar.
19:41The second pillar is lifestyle modification.
19:44And then the third pillar is rate and rhythm.
19:46And so, what that showed is that the lifestyle modification jumped rate and rhythm to the point where that if you can control those risk factors, and that's obesity, diabetes, hypertension, all of those things, those actually increase your risk for atrial fibrillation.
20:05So, if you start to exercise – and, again, it doesn't have to be aggressive.
20:10Start to exercise.
20:11Start to eat better.
20:13It doesn't have – again, it doesn't have to be a wholesale switch, but just make small changes in your diet.
20:17Start implementing more fruits and vegetables as opposed to candy bars or whatever that might be holding you back.
20:23And then that's really what ultimately will help this.
20:26Now, why this is important, Brian, and these are not my words, but it's coming from, you know, cardiologists and electrophysiologists here in the States,
20:34is that you can actually prevent AFib from happening.
20:38And in some cases, you can actually reverse AFib once you're diagnosed with it by doing those lifestyle modifications.
20:46But while you're saying reverse it, does that – is that age a factor in that?
20:52So, right now, it doesn't really show that the age is a factor, right?
20:56So, you can have definitely an impact regardless of age.
21:01Okay.
21:01So, I'm just curious because, like you said, we're both in our 50s.
21:06Okay.
21:06So, I'm not sure.
21:08I don't know what to expect, but I've been through the worst, as I told you.
21:12I've been through the worst.
21:13So, I don't know.
21:15Oh, by the way, if you already have a heart attack, is there a chance that you have – you might get AFib?
21:20Is there a chance?
21:21Is there a possibility?
21:22Yeah.
21:22So, there's – you know, traumatic events ultimately can lead to atrial fibrillation happening as well.
21:29Yeah.
21:29So, it doesn't just have to be heart attacks.
21:31It could be a random surgery or something else that's going on in your life.
21:36Those sometimes do show that AFib can be a risk factor.
21:39So, Jim, before we end, maybe I'd like to ask you what you could – the best message or advice you can give to our viewers.
21:50Well, overall, based on your experience, my experience about this illness, what's the best thing that they can do right now?
21:58Yeah.
21:58So, I think the best thing they could do is what we've already spoken about, and that is taking control of your life, right, and making good choices.
22:07And it's having a strong mind ultimately.
22:11Number one, I think that's so important because then the strong mind leads to then you having a strong heart because it's saying,
22:16I need to make the right choices in life because I don't want to experience an AFib.
22:23I don't want to experience, in your situation, a heart attack, right?
22:27There's ways to prevent those things, and taking control of your own life is the best way to do it.
22:33People have the power.
22:34They just need to know that there's systems in place out there to help them get them through that.
22:40They don't have to be alone.
22:42Jim, thank you.
22:43I really had a great time.
22:44As usual, I knew I'd get a lot of things out of you.
22:48Thank you, Brian.
22:48I appreciate you and your time today.
22:50Yeah, and I hope we can talk again.
22:52I mean, we're connected and linked, so I hope I can – if ever, I can just talk to you.
22:57Again, for us some things.
22:59Let's please do that.
23:00I would appreciate that, Brian.
23:02All right.
23:02Thank you, Jim.
23:03Thank you for your time.
23:05See you again.
23:06Take care.
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