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High blood pressure and exercise

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Recently started having heart palpitations with numbness and tingly sensations. Prescribed a beta blocker and doing better but my confidence in working out has been shaken. My doctor said walking should be fine, but I feel like thats cutting myself short. Tips? 

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@MRSLADYHUTCH I had high blood pressure and was on a beta blocker for roughly 8 years. In the last 4, I dropped 65 pounds and the beta blocker. My blood pressure is perfect. But, once in a while I get heart palpitations- it is kind of like feeling your heartbeat when one shouldn't and there is no pattern to the beats. Also while I was on the blocker, I could not get my heart rate to exceed 150 no matter what activity I did. Running, sprinting, spinning, stairmaster- nothing. Now when I run I am at 170 which is where it should be. So, here is the point of all this: before the meds take hold and control your beats, take it easy on yourself. Walk fast, walk up hills, weight train, elliptical- anything that will slightly increase your beats- right to the edge of cardio. But check how you feel. Check how your heart is beating. Are you dizzy? If all seems right keep going. Tell your doctor your HR stats from the activity and see about him gradually increasing your level of intensity. If you have spikes, back off. If feeling good, keep going. Obviously don't do anything without your doctor's consult, don't give yourself a hard time about it, be patient and let your ticker tick properly.

Elena | Pennsylvania

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I do not have the same experience however I do have the experience of feeling like cutting myself short. I use to workout way to much so when I went to an exercise physiologist to get back into exercise after whiplash I was told to do 3 days a week just to get my confidence up and try build a healthy relationship with exercise. I ended up sticking with this for 4 weeks before adding more and found it a great way to build confidence without overdoing it 

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Have you tried power walking on hilly terrain?

 

That will give you a good workout.

 

Be sure to check with your doctor(s) to be on the safe side.

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@MRSLADYHUTCH: what type of exercise were you engaging in that caused heart palpitation? My guess is it was a lot more intense than walking, since you feel you’d be cutting yourself short with walking. One of the best ways to lower blood pressure is by dropping weight, so if you added exercising to your regimen as a way to lose weight, you were on the right track. However, weight loss is not determined by the intensity of your exercise, but by the caloric deficit you’re able to sustain over some period of time. A higher-intensity exercise will burn more calories, but it’s likely you won’t be able to do it for very long at a time, especially if you’re new to exercising and are carrying extra weight. OTOH, a lower-intensity form of exercise like walking will burn less calories (per unit of time), but you’ll be able to do it for much longer at a time, so it will end up burning more calories in absolute terms. You can start with regular walking, and "upgrade" to brisk/power walking over time, and perhaps to jogging, and even to running. You can also keep the intensity the same, but increase the duration. That’s what @bcalvanese and myself have been doing. As you get fitter and lighter, moving to the next level will become easier. Bottom line: walking is just fine, especially as a starting point, no need to feel short-changed.

 

Also don’t forget exercising is only one part of the equation (for losing weight, if it’s your goal): your diet is equally, if not more, important. You often hear that you can’t out-exercise a poor diet, and I believe it is true in most cases. 

Dominique | Finland

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Thats a good idea! I might see if my doctor can get me a referral. 

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I monitor my diet very closely and the heart palpitations didnt start during an exercise it started while I was at work, and continued in intensity for 2 weeks before I wound up on medication. At that point I had already lost 30 pounds. I have continued to lose since then because I monitor my calorie intake/burn every day but just not as fast. I feel like I am selling myself short because I was finally building up some endurance and able to do a fast paced calorie burning routine cardio/weights/etc and then I became ill and had to stop and now just back to walking. 

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@MRSLADYHUTCH I had high blood pressure and was on a beta blocker for roughly 8 years. In the last 4, I dropped 65 pounds and the beta blocker. My blood pressure is perfect. But, once in a while I get heart palpitations- it is kind of like feeling your heartbeat when one shouldn't and there is no pattern to the beats. Also while I was on the blocker, I could not get my heart rate to exceed 150 no matter what activity I did. Running, sprinting, spinning, stairmaster- nothing. Now when I run I am at 170 which is where it should be. So, here is the point of all this: before the meds take hold and control your beats, take it easy on yourself. Walk fast, walk up hills, weight train, elliptical- anything that will slightly increase your beats- right to the edge of cardio. But check how you feel. Check how your heart is beating. Are you dizzy? If all seems right keep going. Tell your doctor your HR stats from the activity and see about him gradually increasing your level of intensity. If you have spikes, back off. If feeling good, keep going. Obviously don't do anything without your doctor's consult, don't give yourself a hard time about it, be patient and let your ticker tick properly.

Elena | Pennsylvania

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Thanks so much! That helps a lot!
--

*-Sarah Michelle Hutchinson*
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