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Hey! Newbie- need some advice on heart rates...

Ok let me start off by saying im overweight and so so unfit.

So today I did a 7 min workout via the fitbit coach. I nearly died. No joke. But i pushed through. Got upto 160bpm.

 

Anyway after 1 min is dropped to 117 then after another minute it dropped to 106

 

So anyway I'm sitting here, ten mins on a little worried because its fluctuating between 98 and 105. Keeps dropping then rising again then dropping and so on...

 

.....something to be worried of or normal?

 

Normal heart rate is between 75-85 idle. 105-110 walking, standing ect.

 

Any advice appreciated. P.s I know my recovery rate is poor. I'm trying to get healthier!

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13 REPLIES 13

Hey! 

So I'm overweight but have been on a journey for the past month to increase my diet. I'm now incopperating fitness- slowly but surely!

Anyway if i exercise hard but quickly- like a 5 minute sprint etc- my recoverys fine.

 

However if i do something that's not too hard/Like a walk for half an hour which gets my heart upto 135/150bpm. (I'm really unfit! Embarrassing)

 

It's take ages for it to come down. Even after 5 mins ill sit around the 100bpm mark. For hours after. Is this normal?

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Hi @Jawwdan91,

 

First, congrats on your efforts so far to increase your fitness.

 

What you describe it totally normal for someone starting out to improve their fitness levels. I think when I began, it took even longer than 5 minutes for my heart rate to come down.

 

This is known as the "afterburn effect" or EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption). Basically, even after the workout, you are going to burn a bunch of calories as your body slowly returns to a restful state. Pay attention to how the afterburn effect will gradually become shorter and shorter as you progress in fitness over the coming weeks and months. It's actually a good way to track how your fitness levels are improving. If your fitbit supports manual activity tracking (like the Charge 2), you can fire off a Workout mode after exercise until the heart rate recovers, and specifically track how long your afterburn is.

Hope this helps.

Work out...eat... sleep...repeat!
Dave | California

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I would suggest you consult with your doctor...

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Why? My doctor told me it was safe to start my healthy lifestyle change, no underlying health issues..... so I was asking other fitness fanatics their opinion on heart rates...

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no i personally wouldn't be worried. i went on an 8 mile run once being completely out of shape and my heart rate stayed above 100 for half the day.  i was able to lower my resting HR almost 10 beats per minute in a month after running 3+ miles a day which was pretty cool.

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Hi! Quickly let me start off by saying im overweight and very unfit.

So today I did a 7 min workout via the fitbit coach. It was tough. But i pushed through. Got upto 160bpm.

 

Anyway after 1 min it dropped to 117 (43 drop) then after another minute it dropped to 106 (11 difference) 

 

So anyway I'm sitting here, ten mins on a little confused because its fluctuating between 98 and 105. Keeps dropping then rising again then dropping and so on...

 

.....something to be worried of or normal?

 

Normal heart rate is between 75-85 idle. 105-110 walking, standing ect.

 

Any advice appreciated. P.s I know my recovery rate is poor. I'm trying to get healthier!

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That's amazing! I was knackered after 7 mins haha! Could only dream of an 8 mile run, wow!

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well it wasnt really much of a 'run' after the first mile lol... if i remember right my HR was at like 120 for hours after lol

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@Jawwdan91 wrote:

Why? My doctor told me it was safe to start my healthy lifestyle change, no underlying health issues..... so I was asking other fitness fanatics their opinion on heart rates...


1. Who knew what discussions you had with your doctor?

2.You admitted being overweight, and ask ANYONE about potential heart rate issues?

Sure -- I'm going to share my experience and personal health situation that has absolutely no relevance to yours.

Common sense says why. . . .
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@Jawwdan91,

Congratulations on getting started. One of my sayings is "I am where I am. Where do I go from here?" It's easy to listen to all the hype that exercise will help you lose weight. It's not quite the case. Exercise will help you become fitter as defined by being able to complete tasks with less pain, but by itself won't do much to help you lose weight. Many people overestimate the calories burned during exercise and end up eating too much.

 

Your fitness level is where it's at.  From here, you can slowly start to improve it. Walking is about the best way to burn calories. It won't burn as many per minute as high-intensity exercise, but it's easy to add a few minutes. Look at how many steps a day you averaged for the last week and try to increase about a 100 steps a for the next week. Another way is to look at the number of calories you burned a day and try to increase it by only 25 calories or so a week. You can see the average for the last 30 days on your profile. To get there, click on your picture or where your picture would go in the upper right corner of your screen (if you are on your computer). 

 

What you eat is far more important than exercise. Eating controls your health, meaning the probability that you will develop some degenerative disease. Unfortunately, there are lots of myths surrounding food, and many people would rather change their religion than change their diet.

 

To keep it simple, I suggest joining Weight Watchers. Preferably, you would go to meetings and have human contact. If that isn't possible, then choose one of the online options that gives you access to a personal coach. Sure, it costs money, but if you follow their plan you will save enough on the cost of food to cover it. Computerized plans lack the human contact that is so important to people trying to change their way of eating.

 

I suggest putting about 90% of your mental effort into changing your diet and 10% into increasing your activity level.

 

To get back to the topic, your heart rate was typical for out of shape people starting to exercise. There is no need to work up a sweat. Easier exercise for more minutes will accomplish the same thing, and you are more likely to stick to it.

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Your estimated maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age. In order to get your target heart rate zones you need to do the following calculations:

Maximum heart rate * 0.6
Maximum heart rate * 0.7
Maximum heart rate * 0.8​
Your heart rate zones are:

Zone 1: Heart rate between Maximum heart rate * 0.6 and Maximum heart rate * 0.7
Zone 2: Heart rate between Maximum heart rate * 0.7 and Maximum heart rate * 0.8
Zone 3: More than Maximum heart rate * 0.8
Example:

Jimmy is 30 years old and his estimated maximum heart rate is 220-30=190.

Maximum heart rate * 0.6 = 190 * 0.6 =114
Maximum heart rate * 0.7 = 190 * 0.7 =133
Maximum heart rate * 0.8 = 190 * 0.8 = 152
Jimmy’s heart rate zones:

Zone 1: 114 – 133
Zone 2: 133 – 152
Zone 3: more than 152

 

I hope this helps!! 

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WavyDavey, How do you "you can fire off a Workout mode after exercise until the heart rate recovers,". I have the Charge HR2 and would like to know how to accomplish this so I can track recovery.  I too have been sedentary for a while, and I am an 'older' person...

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JennnJuice, 

It's confusing...

There are 3 Maximum heart rates listed...

Maximum heart rate * 0.6
Maximum heart rate * 0.7
Maximum heart rate * 0.8​ 

Please explain what they mean. 

I am older... so I need to understand. 

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