a different kind of success - resting heart rate

zebasschick
zebasschick Posts: 1,071 Member
in Success Stories
a year ago, my resting heart rate was 78, and i've been spending a lot of time since then doing light cardio and have lost about 20 pounds in that time.

and today, my resting heart rate is 66, so all that hard work is paying off :)

Replies

  • skinnyAlmond
    skinnyAlmond Posts: 1 Member
    Mine was 64 and now it's 56! All I did was walked more and watched what I ate!
  • marksiladi
    marksiladi Posts: 2 Member
    I watch this number too. I am back to a walking and exercise regime after a bad pandemic (lockdown) journey, and my resting heart rate is now low 70's. I recall it was in the 60s before when i was much lighter so i look forward to seeing the change. Most cardiovascular info says its a simple number to watch and yes, lower is definitely better, congrats on the journey downward!
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,981 Member
    Cool! That's very nice. Well done, Zebra :)
    Mine went from about 54 to 59ish after being off exercising for 8 months. Not too bad. My running HR though went from about 175-180 to 180-195. Go figure :D It will come down in about a month I think, thus no problem.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,580 Member
    marksiladi wrote: »
    I watch this number too. I am back to a walking and exercise regime after a bad pandemic (lockdown) journey, and my resting heart rate is now low 70's. I recall it was in the 60s before when i was much lighter so i look forward to seeing the change. Most cardiovascular info says its a simple number to watch and yes, lower is definitely better, congrats on the journey downward!

    For clarity in case of other readers:

    Gradually slower resting heart rate for reasons like healthy weight loss and improved fitness is a good thing.

    Suddenly slower with no obvious explanation may be a "see the doctor" moment. For sure see the doctor if there are other effects like unexplained fatigue, weakness, dizziness; feeling lightheaded; being short of breath or easily tired (more than usual); and for sure if chest pain.

    That said, congrats to all on the thread who are seeing improvements because of your investment in your own health. That's excellent!
  • Itadakimasu7
    Itadakimasu7 Posts: 313 Member
    Congrats, I've been working on my heart / lung health too. I've decreased my resting heart rate but my oxygen saturation is low, doh
  • zebasschick
    zebasschick Posts: 1,071 Member
    Itadakimasu7 wrote: »
    Congrats, I've been working on my heart / lung health too. I've decreased my resting heart rate but my oxygen saturation is low, doh

    good for you on getting your HR down, and i hope you're working with your doctor on the low ox!
  • mrmota70
    mrmota70 Posts: 533 Member
    Congrats to all…

    This is me these days…

    8rsi820exqwo.jpeg

    I take off my watch when I sleep if not I’ll get a good amount of alerts as I regularly can be under 40 bpm for over 10 mins.

    After workouts my heart rate will drop fairly quick after 1-3 mins. Typical avg. drop is 15-20 I drop 25-50. Not alarmed as I’ve had full work up. Had my heart measured and all the trimmings. That’s just how I work I guess.


  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    Nice show, everyone!

    Jogging lowered my resting HR from ~60 to ~50BPM many years ago. It is a nice tangible way to see your fitness improve. Monitoring your HR during and after exercise is also useful: as your fitness improves, you can push harder with a lower HR and your HR recovers more quickly.

    Wearing a fitness monitor makes it all very easy to track. (I use Garmin.)

    Now, you might say you want your resting HR to be as low as possible, but I think there are limits! 💀
  • EDTake2
    EDTake2 Posts: 165 Member
    My resting HR used to be high 60 Low 70. I am now around 50 to 51. At my healthiest (normal BMI and athletic) I was in the lower 40 (around 42), while sleeping sometimes under 40. I am trying to get back to that now. 25 lbs more, and I will be at a normal BMI. I have also been very active (walk, run, elliptical, Zumba, swimming, weightlifting). This health journey is so much more than just weight, and our heart is letting us know 😊
  • zebasschick
    zebasschick Posts: 1,071 Member
    wow, that's super low - you must have been way fit! good luck getting back there again, and i hope i can work my way to similar results.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,580 Member
    zebasschick wrote: »
    wow, that's super low - you must have been way fit! good luck getting back there again, and i hope i can work my way to similar results.

    There's a genetic piece to it, too: It's good to assess progress against our own baseline rather than someone else's numbers. :flowerforyou:
  • zebasschick
    zebasschick Posts: 1,071 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    There's a genetic piece to it, too: It's good to assess progress against our own baseline rather than someone else's numbers. :flowerforyou:

    that's true, and since neither my parents, three of my grandparents and none of my other relatives never did anything active - except for my yoga-doing, dancing grandmother - who knows what genetics they might have passed on?

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