naturally fast heartrate with a HRM

kellymac518
kellymac518 Posts: 132 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a naturally fast heart rate... My rate when I'm just standing still doing nothing can range from 90 to 125 bpm, so as I work out it gets anywhere up to 175-180 depending on how hard I am pushing.
i have been using my heart rate monitor while exercising and am concerned that it isn't accurate in how many calories I have burned. according to my understanding, the faster your heart rate, the more calories burned. I'm concerned that my body takes a higher heart rate to burn the same amount of calories as someone with an average heart rate.. which would mean that the HRM is inaccurate for my body, which means I have no clue how many calories I am really burning. Does anyone have any insight into this issue?

p.s. My doctors have all noticed the fast heart rate but don't seem to be concerned.

Replies

  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,589 MFP Moderator
    bump- I am curious but sorry no help here :(
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    I have tachycardia (fast heart rate).

    I take a beta-blocker called Propranonol for it. It slows down my heart rate.

    My RHR is anywhere from 100-170. Obviously when I am above 125/130, I am in the hospital.

    If you are overweight, your RHR is going to be faster because your heart is having to work harder.

    As long as you aren't having any symptoms like fainting, dizziness, etc., I wouldn't be too concerned.
  • Gdmerrit1
    Gdmerrit1 Posts: 4
    Tachycardia is a RhR of 100bpm or more. It is a sign of hypertension, but will normally drop off with a good diet and lots of aerobic exercise. Ellipticals are good for getting the valves to close off when on a "coasting" portion. You should talk to your doctor though.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    Tachycardia is a RhR of 100bpm or more. It is a sign of hypertension, but will normally drop off with a good diet and lots of aerobic exercise. Ellipticals are good for getting the valves to close off when on a "coasting" portion. You should talk to your doctor though.

    Kelly, what is your blood pressure?
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    The HRM will give you an inflated burn. The calorie estimation formulas are based on averages, so an average heart rate. If you have a higher than average HR, it will not account for that. It is a "dumb" instrument. It cannot distinguish whether you HR is elevated due to cardio or something else. It will assume the higher HR is due to cardio exercise and calculate calories based on that.

    Keep in mind HR is not directly related to calories burned. It is a very common misconception here. Yes, often when our HR is elevated, we are burning extra calories, but that does not mean that HR= calories burned. We are not burning extra calories when our HR is elevated due to a scary movie. There is a relationship between HR and VO2 max (again based on averages) during steady state cardio (which is why HRMs are only accurate for steady state cardio) that allows for calorie estimation.

    Here is a thread that is pretty helpful in explaining how they work
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472
  • kellymac518
    kellymac518 Posts: 132 Member
    Tachycardia is a RhR of 100bpm or more. It is a sign of hypertension, but will normally drop off with a good diet and lots of aerobic exercise. Ellipticals are good for getting the valves to close off when on a "coasting" portion. You should talk to your doctor though.

    Kelly, what is your blood pressure?

    my blood pressure is always in the lower range of "good" blood pressure... my doctors are always impressed... i can't remember what it is off hand though.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    Tachycardia is a RhR of 100bpm or more. It is a sign of hypertension, but will normally drop off with a good diet and lots of aerobic exercise. Ellipticals are good for getting the valves to close off when on a "coasting" portion. You should talk to your doctor though.

    Kelly, what is your blood pressure?

    my blood pressure is always in the lower range of "good" blood pressure... my doctors are always impressed... i can't remember what it is off hand though.

    Do you have any history of anxiety?
  • kellymac518
    kellymac518 Posts: 132 Member
    I have tachycardia (fast heart rate).

    I take a beta-blocker called Propranonol for it. It slows down my heart rate.

    My RHR is anywhere from 100-170. Obviously when I am above 125/130, I am in the hospital.

    If you are overweight, your RHR is going to be faster because your heart is having to work harder.

    As long as you aren't having any symptoms like fainting, dizziness, etc., I wouldn't be too concerned.


    but the thing is even when i was younger and wasn't over weight my heart rate was still faster than average.. i didn't become over weight until i hit puberty, and even still i wouldn't say i am very over weight.. i only need to lose 10-15 lbs to be at a good bmi... all of my doctors are aware of the fact that it is fast and none of them have voiced any concerns about it, i've even seen a cardiologist in the past (for a different reason) and he didn't say anything
  • kellymac518
    kellymac518 Posts: 132 Member
    Tachycardia is a RhR of 100bpm or more. It is a sign of hypertension, but will normally drop off with a good diet and lots of aerobic exercise. Ellipticals are good for getting the valves to close off when on a "coasting" portion. You should talk to your doctor though.

    Kelly, what is your blood pressure?



    my blood pressure is always in the lower range of "good" blood pressure... my doctors are always impressed... i can't remember what it is off hand though.

    Do you have any history of anxiety?


    yes i started getting anxiety problems in my teens but they are mostly under control at this point, and as i mentioned ive had the fast heart rate all my life even before the anxiety became an issue
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    Tachycardia is a RhR of 100bpm or more. It is a sign of hypertension, but will normally drop off with a good diet and lots of aerobic exercise. Ellipticals are good for getting the valves to close off when on a "coasting" portion. You should talk to your doctor though.

    Kelly, what is your blood pressure?



    my blood pressure is always in the lower range of "good" blood pressure... my doctors are always impressed... i can't remember what it is off hand though.

    Do you have any history of anxiety?

    yes i started getting anxiety problems in my teens but they are mostly under control at this point, and as i mentioned ive had the fast heart rate all my life even before the anxiety became an issue

    90-125 bpm isn't TOO fast. And since your doctor is aware of it and hasn't done further testing to determine the cause, I wouldn't worry. Some people just have a naturally faster heart rate.

    If you are out of shape, this can also contribute to a faster heart rate. Anxiety also makes heart rate increase.

    Do you have any other symptoms besides a fast heart rate?
  • kellymac518
    kellymac518 Posts: 132 Member
    [
    90-125 bpm isn't TOO fast. And since your doctor is aware of it and hasn't done further testing to determine the cause, I wouldn't worry. Some people just have a naturally faster heart rate.

    If you are out of shape, this can also contribute to a faster heart rate. Anxiety also makes heart rate increase.

    Do you have any other symptoms besides a fast heart rate?

    well, i do have several things going on with my body... what kind of symptoms are you thinking of in particular?

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