Is my heart rate normal, or worryingly high, after minimal exercise?

[SunsetRunner]

My resting heart rate is under 70 BPM.

So, is it normal that, after walking up a moving escalator and then walking at a brisk rate along a flat road, my heart-rate should be 105BPM?

I have just turned 58, not overweight, and I used to be pretty fit though I have let myself go lately - hence why I bought the Fitbit to try to motivate/shame me into moving more and exercising more.

Would be interested to know whether 105BPM after a relatively small amount of exercise is normal for my age? Or worrying?

Thanks very much!

[WavyDavey]

Hi @SunsetRunner,

I wouldn't worry. 105 isn't too high. At your age, the max should be around 156 or so. So you have some "room to run".

[SunsetRunner]

Thanks WavyDavey!
But actually I'm not so much worried that I'm about to keel over, but more am worried that it shouldn't be going so high with so relatively little exercise... I just wonder if I am horribly out of shape inside.

One of the problems of measuring something is that you can (certainly I can!) become somewhat obsessed by it 😄

[WavyDavey]

@SunsetRunner,

I hear you about measuring fitness level. Since your fitbit does heart rate, it probably also has VO2Max, which is a great way to track fitness over a long time.

As an example, when I first started trying to get back in shape, I would go on a brisk walk, and my heart would hit 150. Eventually during the walk it would settle down.  If it stayed high the entire walk, well then I really am out of shape! But I find momentary spikes to be somewhat normal.

If the walking shows up in the activity log, you can look at the heart rate charts there. I find this really helpful, because it evens out those peaks, and gives an overview.

[SunsetRunner]

Great, thank you, I feel much better now as I have got nowhere near 150!

I've got the Fitbit Charge 2 and pretty sure it doesn't have the VO2Max - or if it does, it hasn't shown up so far...

[Dominique]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

I've got the Fitbit Charge 2 and pretty sure it doesn't have the VO2Max - or if it does, it hasn't shown up so far...

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Welcome to the community, @SunsetRunner! Your Charge 2 has "Cardio Fitness Score", which is kind of the equivalent of VO2Max in the Fitbit universe. To see what your current score is, click on the Heart tile in your mobile app, then swipe the graph to the left. Your score can be displayed as a range or as a single number. In order to get a range, you don’t have to do anything particular: just wear your Charge 2 at all times (or most of the time). In order to get a single number, you need to run (yes, run, not bike or any other activity) for at least 10 minutes on flat terrain outdoors, with your phone and Connected GPS (outdoors so you get a GPS signal, and GPS so Fitbit can get the distance).

[shipo]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

My resting heart rate is under 70 BPM.

So, is it normal that, after walking up a moving escalator and then walking at a brisk rate along a flat road, my heart-rate should be 105BPM?

I have just turned 58, not overweight, and I used to be pretty fit though I have let myself go lately - hence why I bought the Fitbit to try to motivate/shame me into moving more and exercising more.

Would be interested to know whether 105BPM after a relatively small amount of exercise is normal for my age? Or worrying?

Thanks very much!

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One thing to keep in mind, a brief spurt of exercise such as climbing a flight of stairs will accelerate the heart rate higher than would be typical if that same flight of stairs was encountered after a brief warmup set of exercises.  The thing is, when you're resting your circulatory system is effectively constricted, however, when you start exercising, your heart rate will climb and spike before the veins and arteries dilate, and then your heart rate will decline a bit.

Here is a good example of what  happens when I go out for my daily run:

As you can see, from the above graphic, my heart rate started out real low, and even though the first half mile of that run was done at a very slow pace, downhill no less; ironically, after my heart rate spiked at about 160 BPM, and I started loosening up, it dropped back to about 100 BPM just as I started climbing a 2-mile long/500' high grade.

[emili]

@SunsetRunner I too would measure your Fitness score over the next few weeks to see what's what and maybe try to increase the effort of the activity to get your heart pumping even more. Then you can begin to track your progress and improvement. Whatever you decide, just keep moving - your heart will thank you.

[SunsetRunner]

Hi Shipo

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply and share your experience, and reassure me that I don't seem to have anything to worry about!

That said, I am not complacent and know I need to get moving more and hopefully the Fitbit will be a big part of motivating me.

Thanks again!

[SunsetRunner]

Hi Dominique

Thanks for replying, and for being the inspiration for me purchasing my first Fitbit!

Funnily enough, yesterday when I went on to the iPhone app, it suddenly showed my "Cardio Fitness Score" (which I had never seen before) and apparently I am excellent for a man of my age - which is very nice to know.

Thanks again for replying

[SunsetRunner]

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply and for inspiring me to do more!

I am not a sloth by nature, but definitely do not exercise as much as I should. I'm currently working on that 😉

Thanks again