Community Blog: Heart Health, Marie Nichols

[marienichols71]

Hearth health month

February is the month that we traditionally think of as the month for love and celebrating romance and relationships. But since 1964, it’s also been known as American Heart Month; a time to focus on our behaviors, lifestyle choices and other wellness factors that promote heart health. For me, using my Fitbit tracker to track many aspects of my health and diet, but particularly my heart rate activity during exercise and my resting heart rate.

My interest in my own heart health began in 2004, shortly after the birth of my second child. At the age of 32, I began noticing little “heart flutters”. It felt like my heart was skipping a few beats or I would get that feeling like when something really scares you! After a thorough cardiac workup by my doctor, it was determined that my heart flutters were nothing to really worry about. The flutters continued, but with a cardiologist’s assurance, I learned to generally ignore them since they caused no light-headedness or faint feelings.

Family diagnosis

In 2009, I received a phone call from my sister that my then 54-year-old mother was in the hospital. She was diagnosed with bradycardia, an extremely low heart rate. She received a pacemaker that same day, made a full recovery and is living a good life with minor modifications as the owner of a pacemaker. So in 2015, while still experiencing my own heart arrhythmia and my mother having undergone a major medical procedure to ensure that her heart continues to beat, I began my research into activity trackers that incorporate heart rate tracking and discovered the Fitbit Charge HR. It was my Christmas gift to myself in 2015.

Tracking my heart rate through Fitbit

Although I have since upgraded to the Charge 2 tracker, my Charge HR still works to this day. I’ve logged so many years on my first Fitbit tracker that the band is worn completely smooth from my long-sleeved shirts rubbing it. I began to pay attention to my resting heart rate as well as the many other features that the Fitbit app provides. In the beginning, my resting heart rate averaged around 62 beats per minute. It seemed normal enough to me and my doctor was happy with it, in spite of a family history of bradycardia.

My more important goal of using my Fitbit was to lose the extra 60 or so pounds I’d gained from having two children, along with a sedentary lifestyle that I’d developed. As I used my Fitbit more and more to reach my health goals, my resting heart rate dropped slightly over time to an average of 55 BPM. In 2017 while donating blood, the person doing the health screening made a comment to me that I’ll never forget and that triggered a red warning flag in my mind. He innocently said I had a “runner’s heart rate”. Except that I’m not a runner. I only run if someone is hurt or there’s danger. I’m a walker.

That comment caused me to think back to my mother’s experience and was a wake-up moment for me to pay attention to any more lowering of my resting heart rate. At each of my yearly physical exams, I mention what my average resting heart rate is to my doctor so we can both have it “on the radar”. Recently, my grandmother, age 85, was hospitalized with the same bradycardia condition as my mother. So there is a very clear predisposition for this heart condition in my family and I am thankful every day that I have my Fitbit tracker to track my resting heart rate.

Blood donation

Since February is Heart Month, I’ll also take this opportunity to mention that the American Red Cross always needs healthy blood donors. If you download their app for Android or Apple mobile devices, there’s even a Fitbit donor team that you can join. Consider becoming a donor and sign up to join Team Fitbit in the app!

--

Please note that content published here is written by Fitbit Community members and does not reflect any opinions or official positions of Fitbit. The Community Blog entries  are published as submitted and are not edited for grammatical or other accuracy. This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or condition. Always check with your doctor before changing your diet, altering your sleep habits, taking supplements, or starting a new fitness routine.

[Richards3339]

I hope you are fine

[Sallsyboy]

I am fine thank you and you?

[DavideFitbit]

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience @marienichols71, I'm sure that many people in the Community forums can relate to your story as well or have someone close to them who has undergone something similar. It's never too late to start out journey on a healthier lifestyle 😁

Let us know how you're doing with your health goals!