Woman, 22, falls dead in gym while performing barbell squats
A healthy 22-year-old woman collapsed and died at a local gym after lifting too much weight and overexerting herself, a local official said.
Ariatna Lizeth Mata Esparza of Torreón, Mexico, suddenly fell to the ground earlier this month while doing barbell squats at a local gym.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, but were unable to revive the woman. She died at the scene.
A spokesman for the local prosecutor’s office said an autopsy showed she was suffering from anoxemia, a condition in which there is too little oxygen in the blood, which could be the result of overexertion.
It was also determined that the school teacher had suffered a stroke and had blood clots.
Ariatna Lizeth Mata Esparza, 22, of Torreon, Mexico, died after a medical emergency at her local gym. Officials said it may have been caused by overexertion
Mrs. Esparza was a kindergarten teacher in the city
It’s not known how much weight Esparza lifted, but experts say the average woman can squat about 150 pounds in one repetition.
According to doctors, oxygen deficiency is not uncommon and can be caused by exercising at high altitudes, such as in Torreón, which is 1,100 meters above sea level.
For comparison, New York City is only 33 feet (10 meters) above sea level, while Los Angeles is 300 feet (93 meters) above sea level.
According to doctors, exercising at high altitude uses more oxygen than is taken in, causing oxygen levels in the body to drop and cells to die.
This causes blood pressure to rise, which can cause a blood vessel to burst and a brain hemorrhage to occur.
If the deficiency is chronic, it can also lead to weakened blood vessels, increasing the risk of a brain hemorrhage.
Anoxemia can also increase the risk of blood clot formation by increasing the amount of inflammatory molecules in the blood.
People who are used to higher altitudes are normally better protected against this condition, because their bodies compensate by producing more hemoglobin, allowing their blood to carry more oxygen.
It was not clear whether Ms Esparza had any underlying conditions, although the local report said she had no heart problems.
Mrs. Esparza is pictured above as a tribute
She was working out at her local EnerGym when the incident happened (pictured above)
It was previously suggested locally that this was the main reason for her death.
Anoxemia causes symptoms such as shortness of breath, rapid breathing, cyanosis (where the skin turns blue or purple), and an increased heart rate.
In severe cases it can be fatal if the lack of oxygen in the blood leads to brain damage or organ failure.
Mrs. Esparza was going to become a kindergarten teacher and would receive her exam results that same day.
She was also an animal lover and regularly shared photos online of dogs available for adoption.
According to Jam Press, her last social media post read: “I laugh when people say, ‘Don’t humanize your dog,’ when he humanizes me.”
Her mother, Selene Esparza, wrote on social media: ‘My princess, my girl, you have gone away and left us with empty souls and broken hearts.
‘Fly high, my love, very high.
‘Here on earth you were already a light that guided the people on your path, and now you are a light that illuminates the angels.
“I love you, my princess.”