Not a Newbie, but a recent returnee - concerned about resting heart rate

stclairm
stclairm Posts: 2 Member
in Getting Started
I've been back on MyFitnessPal for about two weeks now after a long vacation, as I am trying to get prepared for a big Alaska Steelhead fishing trip late in the spring. Weight loss is going well, and in many ways I feel like I'm in about the best shape of my life, but I have a concern. Historically when I'm in good physical shape, my resting heart rate has been down in the high 50s. But it is now in the low 70s, and gradually rising. Note that I'm an older guy, in my mid seventies. I think I may have figured out what is going on. I walk my dog for a good part of my exercise, but recently I've been using the treadmill for about 20 minutes a day, with several of those minutes being a light jog at 4 miles per hour. It doesn't feel too hard when I'm doing it, but I'm wondering if with my old body, doing the treadmill like that is not allowing enough recovery time. I'm trying to keep my steps per day up, and that allows me to add a couple of thousand steps in a fairly short time. Advice from anyone would be most welcome. For now, I'm going to change my treadmill experience to going like I have been three times a day, and going with a slow walk any other days of the week that I use the treadmill. If that doesn't improve the resting heart rate, I'll reduce the frequency of the aerobic walk/runs to just two a week.

Replies

  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,415 Member
    Might be worth a check up to get your basic nutrient levels checked, too. When I had really low iron, my resting heart rate went up from 56 to 100. It dropped back down once I started supplementing iron. Nutrient absorption can drop off with age for some and eating at deficit can create eating patterns that neglect nutrient groups for others.
  • merph518
    merph518 Posts: 702 Member
    I'd speak to your doctor if you're concerned. It can't hurt, and they'd know better than any of us.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    Did you Google and read that over-training can cause elevated heart rate? Sounds like that's what you did.

    I don't think the level of exercise you were doing would necessarily qualify, but like merph518 says, I'd go to the doc if I was worried.

    My heart rate (age 66) is all over the place depending on what I've eaten, how hydrated I am, how warm or cold I am and a few other factors and I'm moderately trained and fit. Not an athlete, but I can run for a few minutes at 4 MPH easily.

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