Heart rate????

ambertimmons21
ambertimmons21 Posts: 409 Member
edited September 18 in Fitness and Exercise
Anyone else notice that when they were heavier it was easier to get your heart rate up? I know that when I was heavy(230lb) I could get my heart rate up by briskly walking or lite jogging. Now i have to run as hard as I can to get my heart rate up to the same level. If we are healthier now shouldn't it be easier...not harder? I understand why it is harder, I just think that it is a big bummer.

Replies

  • ambertimmons21
    ambertimmons21 Posts: 409 Member
    Anyone else notice that when they were heavier it was easier to get your heart rate up? I know that when I was heavy(230lb) I could get my heart rate up by briskly walking or lite jogging. Now i have to run as hard as I can to get my heart rate up to the same level. If we are healthier now shouldn't it be easier...not harder? I understand why it is harder, I just think that it is a big bummer.
  • shorerider
    shorerider Posts: 3,817 Member
    And, you have to do MORE exercise to burn the same amount of calories as before you lost weight! :grumble:

    Thing, your heart shouldn't be "up" from exercise all that much if you're really healthy--the fact that it goes up so quickly when we're out of shape shows how out of shape we are/were!
  • buckeyebabe
    buckeyebabe Posts: 235
    try this out...I was pushing myself for the past couple of months. I had been running at 85-95% of my MHR for 30 minutes and burning around 400 calories. I decided to try this "slow burn level" for the past week and wow...what a difference. I have been running at 75 - 85% of my MHR for about the same amount of time maybe a few minutes longer (5) and I burn, almost, double the calories according to my Polar HM. Isn't that crazy?! I have been doing an easier run, no soreness, just a few more minutes added to my exercise and burning more calories!!! YAHOO!!! Try it and see what happens for you!
  • ErinRNinMaine
    ErinRNinMaine Posts: 460 Member
    Well I haven't personally noticed it. But when hubby and I go jogging together, he will burn 1200 calories whereas I only burn 400 or so. I know it's because he's about 100 lbs more than me, but still!!! Talk about unfair! We both wear HR monitors and know these numbers are correct--I do have to push a lot harder to get my HR up there close to his.

    But no, your fitness level is so much higher that you can tolerate more stress on your body and your heart doesn't have to work as hard. So yes, it's a good thing because you are in better shape!
  • krawls33
    krawls33 Posts: 58
    Running (an aerobic excerise)
    The heart rate is raised to between 55 percent and 90 percent of its maximum capacity for at least 20 minutes. If you're physically active, your heart actually becomes larger. The workload you give your heart every time you exercise is in addition to the heart's normal load, forcing this muscle to grow stronger and larger. The stroke volume of the heart increases with exercise. Stroke volume is the amount of blood pumped by the left ventricle of the heart during one heartbeat. Each beat of a larger, more fit heart delivers a greater amount of nutrient-rich blood to hardworking muscles because its stroke volume has increased. A heart that beats slower with greater pumping performance uses energy more efficiently. The heart at rest will beat slower. Exercising your heart, trains it to accommodate prolonged exercise. You also condition it to work more efficiently during times at rest. The resting heart rate is also affected by age, height, and weight. In average person, the resting heart rate ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute and is typically about 72. Olympic distance runners have a resting heart rate around 38 beats per minute because their hearts are very strong.A low resting heart rate under 60 beats per minute is considered a sign of fitness. Another benefit from a fit heart is a quicker recovery following exercise. The speedier return to a normal heart reate assists the body in a very practical sense: you can recover faster from the strenuous aspects of daily living, and you'll feel, in general, more vigorous and active.

    Measuring your heart rate

    Your maximum heart rate is the maximum number of times your heart can beat per minute. Target heart rate is the heart rate you should try to maintain when exercising.

    To determine you target heart rate for exercise, first find you maximum heart rate. To do this, simply subtract your age from 220. Then, calculate to find 55 percent of your maximum heart rate (low end of your target heart rate range) and 90 percent of your maximum heart rate (the high end of your target heart rate range). When you exercise, your heart rate should fall between these two numbers, depending on your fitness goals.

    formula to follow:
    220-your age)x 55% (.55) = ______ beats per minute (low end target)
    220-your age)x90% (.90) = _______ beats per minute (high end target)

    The low target rate is sufficient for burning fat, while the higher target rate will develope cardiovascular fitness. If you are a begginner aim for the low target heart rate. Only competitive level athletes should aim for high target heart rate. Your heart rate should never exceed 90 percent of your maximum because of the strain on your heart.

    I am taking a fitness and nutrition class. That is where my information comes from. I am in the very early stages of it.
  • ErinRNinMaine
    ErinRNinMaine Posts: 460 Member
    formula to follow:
    220-your age)x 55% (.55) = ______ beats per minute (low end target)
    220-your age)x90% (.90) = _______ beats per minute (high end target)

    It is my understanding that this is only an estimate, as each person's max HR (and target rates) is individual-no mathmatical formula can calculate it accurately. I had several fit tests in the booklet (it's best to use a HR monitor if you have one) of my HRM that had you do stairs (8inches, up and down) for 3 minutes-total of 90 steps-and see what your HR was immediately after. Another was to sit on a chair and stand up again thirty times for 1 minute, doing one sit down and one stand up every 2 seconds. Measure HR immediately after. Take the average of the 2, and that's your sub-max HR. Depending your your fitness level, add 35 for poor fitness, 45 for average fitness, 55 for excellent fitness, and 65 for fit. This gives you your max HR, and then you can figure out the 55-90 percent thats personalized for you.
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