Lowering Heart Rate Through Exercise

[ss017]

I am wanting to lower my resting heart rate and I know exercising is a great way to do this.

How long would it take me to see a difference in my heart rate?

What types of exercises are the best to do for this?

[Chappychap]

I started to see a difference pretty quickly, after about two weeks of a proper, three times a week gym routine (delivering the NHS and BHF recommended 150 minutes a week of aerobic exercise) I started to see my blood pressure trending down.

However, you'll see some improvement even faster than that, if you complete a reasonably strenuous gym session then measure your blood pressure about two or three hours later you'll probably see that it's lower than normal. Over time those post exercise drops get deeper and more prolonged.

Incidentally the other change which resulted in a measurable and significant change in my blood pressure was simply cutting salt out of my diet. Within a week I could see the difference that had made.

Good luck!

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

As Chappychap has said aerobic exercise helps to reduce HR and BP. Other factors that help are maintaining a healthy weight, no smoking (I doubt you do), alcohol intake within the guidelines or lower, no more than two cups of coffee a day, low salt intake and a healthy diet.

Resting HR tends to increase with age and be higher in females than males. There tends to be a minimum figure that is achievable so most of us will not achieve Miguel Indurain's one of 27bpm. Thus is why he was so good in the Tour de France - I read he could climb mountains at 70bpm! Your GP should be able to suggest the figure that is achievable.

[ss017 in reply to MichaelJH]

Thank you. My weight is good, i dont smoke, and i hardly ever drink alcohol. I also dont drink anything with caffeine. Wow! 27bpm!

My heart rate has been higher lately and i think it is due to a withdrawal from the beta blocker i was taking. I hope it is just temporarily high and it will eventually slow down a little. I’m lucky if my heart rate is 70bpm just laying down!

[Alison_L in reply to MichaelJH]

27?? Wow. My ICD pacemaker kicks in when mine tries to drop below 40 (which it regularly does because of mu meds)!