FitSugar

DrSugar Answers: High Heart Rate After Running?

DrSugar — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 05:30:00 -0700

DrSugar is in the house and answering your questions.

Dear Doc,
I work out regularly, usually running, and I recently decided to monitor my heart rate. I am 22 years old and after a run my heart rate is in the 190s and sometimes over 200. I don't feel that I am overworking myself but that just seems too high. I was just wondering if this is normal or if there could be something wrong. I have a family history of hyperthyroid and wonder if this could be indicative of that.
Thanks,
Hearty Gal

Thanks for the question and I am sure you are not alone in this. To see what I have to say on the matter, read more.

When something seems wrong with your body, it’s always a good idea to discuss that problem or concern with your doctor. When talking about heart rate and exercise, there are three important factors: resting heart rate, maximum heart rate, and target heart rate. Estimating your max heart rate is an inexact science but can be estimated, in young people, with a simple formula: 220 minus your age (check out the target heart rate calculator in the FitSugar Health Guide). Your max heart rate would be 220 minus 22, which equals 198 beats per minute. Remember that this is max heart and you should be working between 60 and 90 percent of your maximum heart rate. Occasionally when sprinting and doing interval training, your heart rate will go above 90 percent max, but you always follow this intensity with a recovery period. I am curious how you are monitoring your heart rate. Taking it manually mid- or post-run is generally inaccurate as are the hand sensor heart rate monitors on most cardio machines. I suggest investing in a personal heart rate monitor, if you haven't already. For more information on exercise and heart rate FitSugar has some information that may help you: Figuring Target Heart Rate, Heart Rate Recovery, and What Is a Good Resting Heart Rate.

Measuring your resting heart rate is also an important part of this discussion. A normal resting heart rate for a highly athletic person is usually between 50 and 75 beats per minute. A resting heart rate greater than 100 usually indicates the diagnosis of tachycardia (fast heart rate) and could require further tests. Another important question is do you have any other symptoms? Hyperthyroidism can cause a feeling of skipped heartbeats called palpitations, which can be uncomfortable or unnerving. It can also cause atrial fibrillation, which is associated with a fast and irregular heart rate. If you are at all worried you could have a problem, I recommend talking to your primary doctor about your symptoms.

If you have a question for DrSugar, send me a private message here and I will forward it to the good doctor.

DrSugar's posts are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations. Click here for more details.

You Asked: Hold On for Heart Rate?

FitSugar — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:30:00 -0800

You're asking and I'm answering . . .

Dear Fit,
I know it's a bad idea to hold onto the handles when using a cardio machine at the gym, however, whenever I am on the treadmill at my gym it is constantly beeping and asking me to, "Hold on for heart rate." What should I do?
-Confused Carrie

Great question! I know exactly what you mean, and I also know how annoying those interruptions can be, so here is my advice: Just hold on as long as you need for the machine to read your heart rate, and let go after the number appears - avoid the urge to lean-on or use the handles as a crutch to make your workout easier. If the machine keeps asking you to hold on to read your heart rate so frequently that you're not getting a good workout, then select another program that does not ask for your heart rate (i.e. not "fitness test"). If you still like to see your heart rate, but hate the machine begging you to hold on all the time, then you may want to get your own personal heart rate monitor, which will automatically transmit your heart rate to most cardio machines. Above all, keep up the good work!

Source

What's the Deal With: STRAPLESS Heart Rate Monitors

FitSugar — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:30:00 -0700

In case you're not familiar with heart rate monitors, they usually come with a watch you wear on your wrist, and a chest strap transmitter that you wear around your chest, since it is after all a chest strap. This strap goes next to your skin (sometimes you have to wet it a little with saliva or water to activate it) and it reads your heart rate and transmits the beats per minute to the watch.

Heart rate monitors can be expensive, depending on how many bells and whistles you get, but these strappy heart rate monitors will give you a constant readout of your heart rate, whether you're moving or not.

Then there are STRAPLESS heart rate monitors, like this one from Reebok called the Fitwatch 10S Strapless Heart Rate Monitor Watch. Don't be fooled! These sound innovative and amazing, but here's the deal. They don't give you a continuous readout. You see those two little grey buttons above and below the screen? You have to stop moving and stand still, press down on those buttons, and after 2-10 seconds, it'll tell you what your heart rate is.

These may not be good for people who have low resting heart rates, irregular heartbeats, or poor circulation in your fingertips.

You may be okay with having to stop every time to check your heart rate just so you don't have to deal with that annoying and constricting chest strap (that can slide down your torso when you get sweaty). If that's the case, this Reebok model got some great reviews. It's easy to use, gives you just as accurate a reading as strappy heart rate monitors, looks more sleek and feminine than other bulky watches, and is only $63.07 through Amazon.

Fit Tip: Finding "Moderate Intensity" For You

FitSugar — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 10:15:00 -0700

The new exercise guidelines recommend getting cardio exercise at moderate intensity. The question is what is moderate intensity for you - how do you find it and measure it? Well, Dr. Margolis, over at Yahoo Health has provided three ways to determine your intensity level.

The talk test. If you can hold an amiable conversation, then you are not working in the moderate intensity zone. You need to be breathing hard to be in this zone so a normal conversation should not be possible. Run by yourself? Then try singing with your playlist and if you can belt the entire chorus, you need to pick up the pace.
The "8 to 20" scale. Imagine a scale of intensity between 8 ad 20, with 8 being barely moving (like holding your toddler's hand while he or she navigates the early stages of walking) and 20 being working as hard as 007 in the "parkour/free running" scene in Casino Royale. You want to workout at and be able to maintain intensity of around 12.
Heart rate. Moderate-intensity exercise means working between 50 and 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. Check out the Fit Calculator to determine your numbers. You want to be work in the Endurance Training Mode - "going the distance."

Writing about all this makes me want to go for a run or a ride! See ya later!

Source

You Asked: Fat Burning Zone vs. Endurance

FitSugar — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 04:00:00 -0700

Dear FitSugar,
I have a question, I am trying to get toned and lose a little weight, but I
have heard a couple of things. I have heard not to run too fast so you
stay in your fat burning zone heart rate, but I have also heard it doesn't
matter if your heart goes into the endurance zone because you are still
burning calories and fat. Which is true? I just want to make sure I am
getting the best bang for my buck when I am running, thanks!
- Fat to Burn

Who of us hasn't been suckered into the notion of the "fat burning" zone? Truth is though, to lose weight you need to burn up calories, and endurance training does that more efficiently and effectively than staying in a lower heart rate zone. While it is true that the body burns a higher percentage of calories from fat during more mellow exercise like walking and easy cycling, when you increase the intensity of your cardio workout, you burn a greater number of overall calories (which should be your focus for weight loss) and subsequently just as much total fat.

So be efficient and do both simultaneously, burn it all up getting your heat rate above the Fat Burning Zone. To add intensity and calorie burning potential to your workout you should try interval training. It not only increases your cardiovascular fitness but it also increases your body's potential to burn fat! If you want a workout in this vein, check out Get IT Up, Your Heart Rate That Is: Interval Training.

Source

Summer Workout Tip: Hotter is Harder

FitSugar — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 03:30:00 -0700

In the dead of winter, a summery workout can seem amazing. Now that it's summer, we're always looking for ways to keep cool while still being able to workout.

One thing to keep in mind is that the hotter it is, the harder your body has to work when exercising. In order to prevent heatstroke (or other heat related illnesses) you should bring your intensity (how hard you work) down a level on especially hot days. This means that if you typically run a 10 minute mile outside, think about running an 11 minute mile instead -- You may even want to think about bringing your workout inside on those especially hot days or switching up your cardio to something a little cooler like swimming. A great way to keep tabs on how hard you are working is by using a heart rate monitor to make sure your heart does not reach extreme levels.

Not sure what your heart rate should be when working out? Then check Fit's Calculator to find out.

Source

Sauna as Post Workout Treat: Keep the Summer Heat in Mind

FitSugar — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 10:15:00 -0700

Recently I posted about ways to reward yourself for a workout well done, and one of those (and my favorite) is taking a sauna. I don't need to tell you about how great it feels. What I do need to tell you is you to hold off on jumping into the sauna, hot tub or steam room immediately after finishing your workout.

The heat from outdoors combined with the heat of the sauna can have a detrimental effect on your body. After working out, you already have elevated temperatures and your blood vessels are dilated. The heat needs to dissipate in order to bring your heart rate back to your resting zone and to bring blood back to your vital organs - cool downs are not just about finding time to stretch. So instead of rushing into more heat that can cause lightheadedness, dizziness, fatigue, nausea or worse, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and heart attacks, try a cool shower instead. Basically you need to allow your heart rate to return to resting levels before treating yourself to some relaxing heat at the end of your workout.

Source

Do You Warm-Up? If Not, You Should

FitSugar — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 03:00:00 -0700

Do you warm-up before starting to workout? If not, you're definitely not alone, but you should still consider adding a warm-up to your workout.

Most of us skip the warm-up because: We don't know how important it is, we don't have the time for the extra five minutes at the gym and we just want to get working out over with and done.

Here is the thing, a warm-up does not have to be anything big or complicated but the benefits for warming up are well worth the extra time it takes. A simple 5-15 minutes warm-up will increase blood flow to the muscles. This improves flexibility and can prevent injury and possible soreness. Warming up also slowly increases your heart rate and breathing to ease your body into exercising, making it easier in the long run (no pun intended) as cold muscles don’t respond well to sudden exercise and can seriously restrict your movement. A correct warm-up is any kind of light activity that results in a light sweat.

Think of warming up as preheating the oven when baking -- To put something in a cold oven will lead to less than desirable results when baking, but if you bake in an oven that has already been heated, your results will be a properly baked good.

Fit's Tip: If you're participating in sport, be sure to warm-up specific to the muscles you'll be using. For example, many golfers do golf warm-ups that warm-up their shoulders, back and legs before hitting the course.

Get in Gear: Timex Ironman Triatholon Bodylink

FitSugar — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 02:00:00 -0800

If you don't have an iPod Nano, than you obviously don't have the Nike+ iPod that monitors your speed, distance, and calories burned while walking or running. If you did, you would have spent about $190-$230 depending on what size Nano you bought.

If you still want to know all those stats, and others like your heart rate and target heart rate, you should check out this device by Timex.

It's called IRONMAN Triatholon Bodylink. It's not cheap, about $275, but comparable in price to similar devices. I actually found one online from PC Coach for $239.95.

You wear the watch on your wrist, the band around your chest, just below your breasts, and attach the black and silver rectangular-shaped device somewhere on your body, like on a small backpack.

The Triatholon Bodylink is a GPS (global positioning system), so it works with satellites to give your accurate speed, distance, and altitude. It's water-resistant and can record you workout and download it to your computer. I like the summary mode that allows you to review your speed, distance, and heart rate performance at the end of your workout.

Fit's Tips: If you are a serious runner, cyclist, hiker, or cross-country skier, you'll love being able to keep track of your stats all in one device. You should know that it does NOT work indoors, so if you run on a treadmill or ride an exercise bike inside, I'd splurge for the Nano and Nike+ iPod Sports Kit, since it works both inside and out.

Get it Up - Your Heart Rate, That is: Swimming

FitSugar — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 10:54:14 -0800

Winter, in many places, forces us to move our workouts indoors and swimming is the perfect way to stay inside and get your heart rate up.

Here's a workout I did recently. Try it you'll like it.

Warm up:
100 yrds Freestyle - easy
100 yrds kick Freestyle
100 yrds pull Freestyle
100 yrds kick Backstroke

The Main Event:
100 yrds Freestyle
25 yrds Butterfly or Breaststroke
100 yrds Freestyle
50 yrds Backstroke
100 yrds Freestyle
75 yrds Breaststroke

Intervals:
50 yrds Freestyle sprint
(rest :30)
50 yrds Backstroke sprint
(rest :30)
50 yrds Breastroke sprint
(rest :30)

Cool Down:
50 kick Freestyle
50 kick Backstroke
100 Freestyle - easy

Total is 1,200 yards, which equals a little more than 0.68 miles. If you want a longer work out repeat the Main Event for an extra 450 yards, totaling 1650 yards or 0.93 of a mile.

Don't forget to stretch out in the shower when you are done.

Fit's Tip: Print out this workout and take it to the pool with you. It might get a little wet, but paper coach is better than no coach at all.