I am 81 years old and work out using HIT on average about 50 minutes a day usually for six days a week. My heart rate goes from 65 when I start to a max of 140, up and down durning the workout . Mostly resistant training with weights. About a week ago I noticed after my third set of exercises ,my Apple Watch showed my heart rate at 175, well over my max of 140. I sat down and was looking at my watch and noticed twice at 2:00 am and 5:30 am my watch sent me a notice that my heart was in AFIB. I came home and called my cardiologist and sent him an ekg off my watch and he said I was in AFIB. He prescribed eliquis and a beta blocker and referred me to a electrophysiologist,whom I a seeing tomorrow. One month ago I had a METS score of 13.8 on a treadmill test equal to a 26 year old. I have always thought of myself to be in great shape for my age but this Afib thing has me concerned. That’s my story,any thoughts?
AFIB and my exercise: I am 81 years old... - Atrial Fibrillati...
AFIB and my exercise
You can be in great shape -- which you obviously are -- and still have afib. In fact, too much exercise can sometimes be why afib develops in the first place. A book on this is "Haywire Heart" by Dr. John Mandrola.
Glad you're seeing an ep right away and hopefully things will get sorted out. Let us know what they say and the plan.
Jim
Yes, you're still in great shape. Did you feel bad when your watch told you about the afib? It can be traumatic or entirely asymptomatic. If you hadn't had the watch on would you have known?As mjames said exercise, particularly endurance exercise when younger can lead to it. Ironic, I type bitterly.
As said, good you're seeing an EP. If they put you on beta blockers they *may* crater your exercise ability, so discuss carefully with the drs.
Without the watch would have known nothing. No symptions other than I felt a little winded. My resting heart rate before AFIB was 55, now it’s 72. Now I get close to my max 140 quicker and extends my exercise as I stop until my HR is down to about 100 then do another exercise.
Moderate your exercise, your body is trying to tell you.
Whilst your keep fit regime is admirable at your age sometimes you have to listen to your body because it tells you what you can and cannot do. You must be in great shape but as an ex leisure centre manager I can tell you that I have seem those who over do it collapse and not return so please, listen to your body and when it says enough is enough move on to something else. Everything in moderation is the key.
Wow - 50 minutes of HIIT 6 days a week at 81, I take my hat off to you!
I have paroxysmal AF where an episode is predominately triggered during running if my HR hits > 145. I’ve learnt that I can usually avoid triggering it if I closely monitor my HR during exercise by wearing a Garmin HRM. Keep below 140 and I can run a half marathon without concern. It does mean that I’m relatively slow compared to pre-AFib. but still respectable for my age.
AF begets AF so I would recommend the following:
Try to avoid episodes by closely monitoring your HR and see if there is a trigger level. If so, keep below this and see if you can manage without any meds.
Beta blockers will destroy your ability to do exercise by significantly restricting your HR. It maxed mine out at about 110 and made any attempt at even moderate running miserable.
I take Flecainide which I believe also limits my HR during exercise, but still enables me to get up to my self imposed max. I believe it does still impact my performance and I am experimenting on timing of doses (should I say aim to take 10 hrs before exercise or maybe at time if exercise?).
I was originally prescribed both Beta Blockers (Bisoprolol) and Flecainide but in agreement with my EP dropped the Bisoprolol.
Good luck and hopefully you can find a good compromise that allows you to continue exercising (it’s so important for maintaining general heart health amongst other benefits) and avoiding future episodes. Generally the more episodes you have, the more you will have and the more it will impact your quality of life.
Again - so impressed with you maintaining your fitness. Best of luck.
One more thing - ensure you are always well hydrated - I’m pretty sure getting dehydrated will increase my risk of triggering an episode.
Excellent reply 👍
You are amazing. An inspiration. It's just bad luck, the main risk factors are obesity and all the usual ones like bad diet etc.
EXTREME exercise can lead to afib in SOME people. But that means Tour de France type intensity AND duration.
I hope you are able to continue to do what you love and be such a legend 👍
I plan on continuing my exercise,maybe at a less intense pace. Thanks for your encouragement.
Moderate your exercise your body is trying to tell you to take things a little easier. I am just a little younger than you and still exercise regularly - I was a fitness instructor for 37 years - so its my life. I developed AFib in my mid 70's and am in permanent AF after failing to be able to get an ablation in time before and in between Covid Lockdowns. I only take Apixaban (Eliquis) as an anticoagulant as I couldn't get on with any beta blockers, calcium channel blockers or and rate or rhythm control medication - it made me feel far worse than the AFib with constant shortness of breath, coughing and fatique. I still exercise and have all the way through prostate cancer treatment and my AFib journey. When I went back to exercise after AFib diagnosis I got a heart monitor with chest strap and wrist worn read out from "Polar" and managed to eventually get into a routine where I could exercise and keep my heart rate at around and under 130 during exercise. I now do circuits in the gym and still enjoy the social aspect of going there - some days it is the highlight of my day! It was hard for me to keep to this limit as of course given my age and training in the military I always went with the "No pain, no gain" attitude but life is good and by keeping fit I can still manage all the other things I used to do too, long walks up hill and down dale - though I may be a little slower than I was, swimming and skiing.
Good Luck to you.
You are a lot like me as I go to gym early in morning and start my day with what I love to do. Hopefully I have caught this early enough to maybe have ablation or something that will help. See all my workout friends there every day and it’s a highlight of my day. May have to tone it down a little. Thank you for you afib story and keep on moving.
Thank you for sharing your story with the Forum, glad to hear you are able to keep yourself fit and healthy with exercise, but please remember to listen to your body and try not to over exert yourself if you feel unwell.
Kind regards
TracyAdmin
Will do, something very common in this thread. Thanks
Hi, that’s some impressive stats. The link between Afib and extreme / endurance exercise is well know but I still don’t think there is enough data/research on it yet. There is some correlation but all athletes don’t get Afib. There is also research suggesting that ‘some’ exercise can actually suppress Afib. The presentation of Afib is so diverse, I think it’s all very personalised and the amount of ‘suppression’ exercise is very individual.
You seem to be able reach your age adjusted maximal HR. I was told that is a good sign, and occasionally ‘test’ myself to make sure I can still do it. The advice I was given, after a couple of CPET tests was to keep my target to 90% of my maximal - 80mins a week. This is my base load - I also strength train, cycle and climb regularly.
This I’ve been doing for 4.5 years and along with meds, I have kept my Afib ‘in check’ for 3.5 years - no episodes. I also just at the point where I am titrating my meds to see if I can maintain NSR without them. I think my exercise tolerance has been key to doing this.
It’s not all good news, occasionally I get ectopic storms and of course, I am susceptible as anyone else to colds, flus, covid, sprains, aches. In all cases, I listen to my body and will slow down, taper off exercise and build up again.
All of the above has been done under the guidance of my cardiologist and other support staff.
Hi, I would say for your age you are overdoing it. Everything I've been told by medics and read is that while strenuous exercise is good for heart, it can be harmful for AF and moderate, ie walking is supposed to be better. Comparing yourself with a 26yr olds score sounds as if you're addicted to exercise.
Welcome to the senior zone. I think it’s all genetic. I’ve been reading on this website for quite some time, and I’ve come to the realization that we are all individuals, but once we enter into the early stages of the twilight zone, we are very likely to begin to develop some form of heart ‘condition’. Barring major issues with one’s heart, there is nothing unusual about the heart simply evolving, naturally. In some that translates into a fib, a flutter, or some other normality specific to the individual. The best we can do is to follow, conventional wisdom: keep active, eat a healthy diet, keep happy and positive, avoid alcohol and keep excessive fat off the body. Ablation… Seems to me like a huge industry. Otherwise there wouldn’t be so many repeats, and the same applies to cardioversions. You are doing very well, Stetson. I am 75. I walk daily, cycle, daily, and lift weights four times a week. I follow my own advice.
Thank you,I agree as we get older we change and I also agree that what good for one person may not be good for others. Will update after I see Doc. Today. Staying positive, enjoying life, eating right and exercising is my mantra.
Hi
Which Beta Blocker.
Metapolol is one of my banned meds along with all ace Blockers including Lopressor.
Changed to Bisoprolol BB but still not controlled so I take Diltiazem 120mg AM for rapid heart rate (360mg full dose) and Bisoprolol PM 2.5mg for BP.
Control is a step your Cardiologist will take and its a matter of what meds.
Take care, Joy. 75. (NZ)
Metapolol now and eliquis.
Hi
Sorry to hear about your AF. I have had PAF for several months. It has been called exertional as my HR leaps up when exercising. Rest of the time my HR is normal. I’m medicated but no side effects. Fairly, not wholly asymptomatic. So now with AF for the same exertion as before my HR is 20/30 BPMs up, You can see previous targets don’t apply. I was anxious at first but gradually have found the new normal either when in rhythm or out.
I was advised to not exceed 160 BPM but syncopic symptoms may happen at this rate so I try to average a revised 120 when in AF. Luckily I can have good days when normal HR returns. Exertion is different with AF but is still OK. I’m not sure about HIT; I now think ‘endurance’. None of this applies in on Bisporol.
All the best
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