Heart rate?

[JB173]

Running with my Fitbit & getting a bit concerned about my heart rate! Apparently I shoot straight in to Cardio within 5 minutes of setting out & stay there for the duration! I’m trying hard to lose weight so assume Fat Burn would be better so my question is, am I putting too much strain on my heart & would I be better walking to achieve my goals? Thank you for any advice ☺️

[angiolver16gmailcom]

Its difficult to reply not knowing your health. Are you running in a group?

It maybe that you are over exerting your self and need to slow down your pace...if you have any health concerns ut might be best to speak with your doctor. 😁😁

[Bazza1234 Graduate]

Unfortunately if you are using some kind of watch or App that measures your heart rate and then shows you what "Zone" you are in, you are bound to be disappointed, unless you have entered your very personal correct details - which are primarily your true maximum HR and your resting HR. Most of these watches/Apps/ Gym machines base their HR zones and percentages around the now completely discredited formula for maxHR of 220-age. At age 71, according to that formula , I should have a max HR of 149 - but I regularly reach 160+ every Saturday at parkrun. I have to tell the treadmill at my local gym that I am only 55 years old otherwise it has a heart attack whenever I get anywhere near 150 ( which is most runs) It would be better for you to firstly test your HR when you are absolutely rested - and then test it when you are running "conversationally" - even then , at the gym, you may start out being "conversational" at an initial pace but you will find ( like I do) that after 20+ minutes your HR has drifted northwards by up to say 20BPM while you are still running that same pace and feel still quite "conversational" . At this stage of your running career, I would say that it is of interest to watch your HR numbers - but so long as you run conversationally, you need not worry especially much about them.

[JB173 in reply to Bazza1234]

Thank you so much for that dose of common sense, you are so right & have made me feel a lot better because as you say, I am still able to hold a conversation at the pace I am running. Never worried about it before the Fitbit! Thanks again ☺️

[AnnieW55 in reply to JB173]

Bazza1234 is right. Treat your Fitbit numbers as "of interest" but not gospel. After a time, if still using it, you will see a pattern emerge - probably - and that will give you an idea of what's happening. As I've said elsewhere, over the years my heart rate during exercise has been so high I gave up worrying about it well before I started c25k five+ years ago. Last weekend I saw 181bpm for a few minutes (going up a biiig hill) and held a normal😂 out loud, feeling fine, conversation with myself at 167bpm on an undulating lane (I'm 63 so "shouldn't"be seeing those numbers) .

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Wot Bazza said.

If you have concerns consult your GP.

[TedG Graduate]

I mentioned the exact same thing to my Doctor JB.

Using the 220 minus your age table, I’m maxing out on all of my runs and he told me there was nothing to worry about providing I’m not getting chest pains, gasping for air and that my HR comes down reasonably quickly after exercising.

If I feel my pulse throbbing in my head, which happens from time to time if I’m overheating, I take a short walk break. Does me the world of good 😊