Weight Watchers

[TheyCallMeMrGlass]

I clocked over 27k steps on Saturday, 13k on Sunday and then today, I only managed 6k. Distinct decline. I think my feet are broken. Very glad this is a volunteering weekend rather than a running one.

A friend of mine who hits the gym regularly (but who doesn't run) was looking at my stats for Leeds and suggested that my heart rate was too high. I don't really know how to make of this - my heart rate is what it is! I always feel like I'm dying, but I don't, and I had my heart tested a few years ago and it's absolutely fine.

Does anyone know owt about these theories you have to exercise at X % of your maximum HR? It all sounds like gibberish to me.

ClareBarr - we're doing Nottingham this time next year. If you're up to it, we'll see you then, otherwise that offer to catch up any time you feel up to coming to London is always open.

Sorry, I didnt see you post when I posted my last one.


Well, what a great friend you got there, noticing and calling your attention to your heart rate. Your friend was absolutely right to express a concern.

Yes, you must not exercise beyond your maximum heart rate. But as I saw you finish your race, you looked absolutely fine. Yes, you were tired, only a little out of breath which is absolutely normal. But you weren't collapsing or walking wobbly and your mind was sharp, sharper than mine for sure (yeah ok, my mind is not much to gauge on, is it!) It is true that we can feel our limits and you sound like you might have a good feel for yours. But still, do take your heart rate seriously.

Your theoretical maximum heart rate is approximately 220 minus your age. Does your parkrun stats show you went above 85% of that? When you say you feel like you were dying....thats not good!!! But I suspect you meant it figuratively, ie aching and out of breath which is fine. If on the other hand you experienced pain in chest or sudden fast heart beats or dizziness than please do not ignore such symptoms and get a check up. In fact, everyone should at least have a full general health check every year (right Diane? wasn't that your recommendation in your profession?).

BUT it is a concern if your heart rate was over 85% your theoretical maximum heart rate. This means you need to improve your fitness level, regardless of how fast you achieved your parkrun. Your fitness level is actually down to how efficiently your heart can pump blood and oxygen around your body and lungs. Whenever you set a running event target, you need to train properly for it. You should be able to run a parkrun with a lower heart rate and to be able to finish a race with less fatigue. That's the true goal and that's the sign of improved fitness. Sure your heart rate is what it is but it can be improved and is the uh...heart of all our health goals, like losing weight/body fat, running faster times, sporting goals, etc. All those goals come down to strengthening our heart to make it work efficiently so we can burn the fat, build our muscles etc.

So how do you know how fit you really are. There is an easy way. Measure your resting heart rate. I know you have a gadget to do this but they are not always reliable. To do so reliably is to do it the low tech way...counting the number of pulses on our wrist in one minute when you are at full rest...usually best time is when you have woken up in the morning before you eat or even get out of bed. Its a great time to measure it, or when sat down reading a book for a while.

So to do this, first get a seconds ticking clock in front of you. Have your right or left palm face upwards. With your index and third finger of your other hand, apply slight pressure between the bone and tendon below your thumb and feel around for your pulse. Once you have it, use your clock and count your pulse beats for 20 seconds. Multiply by 3 to get your beats per minute...ie your resting heart rate. If you want to count for a whole minute by all means. do it that way but its easy losing count that way. Counting for 10 seconds then multiply by 6, or 20 X 3, or 30 X 2 is better. Compare that to what your gadgets read just to see how accurate your gadget is. Because the low tech way is the more accurate!

A healthy resting rate is between 40 and 100.

Here is a chart that you can assess your fitness level, via resting heart rate.

http://www.topendsports.com/testing/hea ... -chart.htm

So going forward, set your parkrun target date. Then beginning of every week, plan your exercise program to strengthen your heart. This means doing anything with a moderate intensity to get your heart pumping within a training heart rate zone of between 50-75% of your maximum heart rate for about 20 mins, say 4 times a week. If that is what you are doing already and more than brilliant. If not, then try do that. Put your gadgets to real use :)

I used to use a Garmin heart rate monitor chest band and still have it but have not been using it since my garmin watch band snapped last year, and was too lazy to get it repaired but I reached a point where I know my body, I know my limits, I can feel what my fitness levels are and what's needed to improve. (right now a lot, lol). But now that you brought up this heart rate thang, I think I will go back to wearing my heart rate chest band. Chest band heart rate monitors are the most accurate of sporting heart rate monitors.

Sorry if I sound preachy but I did qualify as a fitness professional with GP referral, although clearly I dont look it, and not in practice of fitness training, so your doubts would be very justified!

But I hope the above helps, and your friend sounds like a great caring person!



I sat down for a long while writing this, so I just measured my resting heart rate. Its 66. Thats not bad, I thought would be higher so pleased with that. But I think I will also start to use that as a fitness guage over time and try get that lower.

[asamaic]

If you use 220-age, that's 189. Average then was 179, max 191. It was pretty much a consistent line around 190; the average was only pulled down by the slow start due to the large number of runners. So... 100% of max heart rate.

My resting rate is generally between 60 and 70. When it gets towards 70, I start saying no at work. You can see the impact of lack of sleep, stress, weight and general health on my resting rate - I use it as a warning. Currently 64.

I'm quite familiar with what actual dying feels like (anaphylaxis) and used to do first aid at major events, so I feel like I would recognise heart failure on the field. I do push myself, but I've never felt like my heart was about to give out...

I run with serious runners usually (well, they lap me then wait for me to finish) and they do comment on how I look on the course and at the end. They're great, they know all about my injuries and lack of running technique and do comment. If I was actually about to pass out, they would a) notice and b) look after me.

I am a terrible runner - I rarely stretch, I don't hydrate and I have no technique. But I don't think I'm about to conk out... or am I? Should I keep running or stop running? I am very confused.

[Diane65]

Gosh Asamaic that must have been horrific for you experiencing anaphylaxis. I got quite choked up reading that you are quite familiar with what dying feels like - I take it that you have had a few anaphylactic reactions. It's the most frightening thing ever - my daughter had to be defibrillated following an anaphylactic shock, that was even after she had been given adrenaline thank goodness she survived. Thank heavens for epipens - it was her first ever shock when we didn't have an epipen that resulted in her heart stopping.

I have just tested my resting heart rate and it is 54 - is that due to me being super fit or in reality that I am horizontal in bed?
Still waiting for my legs to feel like they are ready to be exercised again.
If that 220 - age thing applies mine is 168 I obviously can't push myself too much As for a general health check up I have never had 1 in my entire life. I had a medical at work 30 years ago but that was mainly checking immunisations etc. Does everyone else have routine check ups?

[asamaic]

Diane65, because it's happened so many times, I recognise the symptoms straight away, stay calm and take action. Certain things will kill me, even in tiny quantities, but I can usually administer my own epipen and call my own ambulance if I feel I need one. Without any intervention my throat would close up completely and I would stop breathing, but I'm always quite confident I'll have access to drugs and/or a paramedic before it's totally game over. I've come close a few times, but clearly I've always won! Staying calm helps with breathing through a severely restricted airway. And an epipen is quite literally a lifesaver.

(I've always been irrationally angry that epipens are not free of charge on the NHS. They should in my opinion be exempt from prescription charges as they don't improve the quality of life, they preserve it.)

Living with allergies is just normal for me. The only way it holds me back is that there are some countries I would not feel safe visiting, at least not on my own.

54 sounds super fit to me. You're doing better than I am!

I don't have routine checkups, no. They do offer a subsidised health screening through work, but I've never gone for it.

[TheyCallMeMrGlass]

If you use 220-age, that's 189. Average then was 179, max 191. It was pretty much a consistent line around 190; the average was only pulled down by the slow start due to the large number of runners. So... 100% of max heart rate.

My resting rate is generally between 60 and 70. When it gets towards 70, I start saying no at work. You can see the impact of lack of sleep, stress, weight and general health on my resting rate - I use it as a warning. Currently 64.

I'm quite familiar with what actual dying feels like (anaphylaxis) and used to do first aid at major events, so I feel like I would recognise heart failure on the field. I do push myself, but I've never felt like my heart was about to give out...

I run with serious runners usually (well, they lap me then wait for me to finish) and they do comment on how I look on the course and at the end. They're great, they know all about my injuries and lack of running technique and do comment. If I was actually about to pass out, they would a) notice and b) look after me.

I am a terrible runner - I rarely stretch, I don't hydrate and I have no technique. But I don't think I'm about to conk out... or am I? Should I keep running or stop running? I am very confused.

That's a splendidly healthy resting heart rate. Because of that, I suspect either you probably have a much higher maximum heart rate than what the formula gives or your heart rate monitor is not accurate. That is the drawback with fitness and health monitors...they can increase unnecessary anxiety and stress levels! Even the formulas I gave, such as the Max heart rate formula is not wholly accurate but just a rough estimate for the average person. To get closer to what your own unique true heart rate maximum is, you need to do a short 4-5 mins activity at your highest intensity until you are exhausted to get your max heart rate which I suggest that you do so under supervision. Run up a steep hill 2-3 times is a good way.

Because of your previous injuries and your mentioning of anaphylaxis (which btw makes you one kickass warrior, I am in awe of you in battling such a frightening allergy), I wonder if your GP can refer you to a proper fitness health test? Worth finding out? Just to see where you are really at. Then whatever your health monitor gadgets show, you DONT use them as a reflection of your health (because they probably dont) but to use as a progression gauge. I like to suggest you doing that to alleviate the concern on your heart rate. I dont know what injuries you had (apart from anaphylaxis) but that's in the past as long as you are not doing anything against doctors advice!

You clearly love running but I like to see you prepare properly for them (and confirmation from your GP that it is safe for you) and run them without feeling like you are dying! You can enjoy your Parkruns far more with a little investment in small progressive exercise routines in between the events. You should ideally hydrate before a run for instance. Dynamic stretching (cardio movement while stretching) before a run prevents muscular injuries while static stretching after a run, prevents the veins platting up and enables the body to repair the ripped muscle fibres (of your run or exercise) more quickly, thus lessening or completely getting rid of the aches, one normally feels for hours or days after a workout/run. Stretching has nothing to do with heart rate but try to at least adopt static stretching after a workout to fully reap the benefits. And of course, aim to eat balanced nutritional meals to improve your immunity system.



Just one thing more thing, many of you seem to work so much overtime with multiple pressurising responsibilities...that kind of lifestyle affects wellbeing...be nice to try find a way to reduce such workloads!

I have just tested my resting heart rate and it is 54 - is that due to me being super fit or in reality that I am horizontal in bed?
Still waiting for my legs to feel like they are ready to be exercised again.
If that 220 - age thing applies mine is 168 I obviously can't push myself too much As for a general health check up I have never had 1 in my entire life. I had a medical at work 30 years ago but that was mainly checking immunisations etc. Does everyone else have routine check ups?

Wow, thats so healthy and yeah, its supposed indicate you are athletic! Well, I aint gonna argue! But if you doubt it, then fine, that means you feel there is room for progress in your fitness which is always a good thing whilst knowing confidently, that you have a healthy resting heart rate :) and that's because you lead a very active lifestyle, walking long distances frequently.

Annual check up....You didnt suggest that? I must have misread and got the wrong source too, sorry! lol. I admit I dont do that either. But what I did do annually in the last few years was have a blood test to check vitamin levels etc. That's useful for us. A blood test several years ago revealed that I was lacking in Vitamin D. That was good to know leading to my rectifying that deficiency and consequent blood tests following years showed more healthier results. I think I might be wrong about annual general check ups, on reflection.

In terms of maximum heart rate Diane, the lower Max heart rate doesnt mean you cant push yourself less. Not at all. It only means that an older heart simply cant beat as fast as a younger heart at the same work effort one puts in. So you and I can be working a lot harder at say 70% of our heart rate max (lets say at 130bpm) than a younger person working at the same 140bpm work heart rate. The intensity of our efforts are the same throughout our age. We can put the same amount of effort we are capable of at any age. We just perform less effectively, eg, less speed etc than a younger person is capable of. Its only the scale of measurement that is different! So how much effort you put into exercise should not change. For example. the 100 year old Marathon runner (Fauja Singh), ran the marathon in 6-7 hours. He put in exactly the same effort as the 30-40 year old marathon runners who finished in 4 hours and they in turn put in the same effort as the younger peak age 20-30 year old runners who finished the marathon in two hours. So whatever your maximum heart rate is absolutely nothing to worry about!

So with all that talk, you are both fitter than I am given your resting heart rates..and that makes sense. You both work harder than I do. Yeah, I play squash, run and walk...and then undo that with jaffa cakes and beer. So thanks for inspiring me...and keep reaching for your goals to inspire all of us some more! Btw how is that workout DVD, Diane?

Everyone, dont worry to much about numbers in anything...calories, heart rate etc. What matters is the difference these measurements show over a period of time. All we are concerned with is progress, and feeling good every step of progress we make. Less worrying, less stress, more positivity, feeling good about any bit of progress made, equal a healthier you.

[Diane65]

I am ashamed to say that the DVD is still in the box. I think the low heart rate was because I was nodding off. I haven't been doing regular walks but have proved that even with working mad hours and visiting 2 poorly relatives a few times each each week with extreme time management I managed to fit in the Leeds and London trip without taking any time off work ie 23 hours of free time in a week. I couldn't sustain that amount of free time (I am embarrassed to admit but I cut down on sleeping for 5 nights to fit it in - 6 hours instead of 8) but I should be able to at least have some free time.

Asamaic and MrGlass you two are fabulous.

[asamaic]

I am not doing any more walking today. My feet are wrecked from a night out in heels! Thankfully it's a public holiday and I'm volunteering on Saturday rather than running. I'm still in awe that you managed Leeds and London back to back, Diane65 - you have more stamina than me!

TheyCallMeMrGlass, I would not say I love running at all. I hate all exercise. But I really like the parkrun community and the fact that parkrunning is very low commitment. You can sign up to volunteer quite last minute and you can decide whether or not to run on the day itself - you don't have to register months in advance and/or p*y a fee to do so. I don't think I'd bother going practically every week if it wasn't for the people. The ones at my local are so very lovely.

I managed the gym for - ooh, I don't know, about a year? Everyone seems to have their own gym, but it doesn't fit into my lifestyle and I know I need to do something to stay vaguely in shape. Parkrunning seems the lesser of many evils.

My resting rate has actually started dropping again this week to around 60, which is a good sign. I'm sure my HRM is inaccurate because it's not designed for serious sportspeople, but I do p*y attention to the trends and the historic impact.

I am aware I need to stretch more before running. And hydrate. Those are two takeaway points I will work on. I'm actually wondering if/when it's time to stop running for the summer because I do not do well in heat and I need to either sort out my hydration or take a break until the weather gets a bit worse again.

Re the stretching, what I want to do is build up the sort of muscles you use when you lunge, because I have realised lately I don't have any strength there (from avoiding using them following all the ankle sprains) and if those muscles worked better, I know I could run faster. I find stretching boring though. My massage guy is always reminding me that it wouldn't be so painful fixing my legs every month if I stretched more often before running.

I think actually though my leg muscles are getting wrecked from walking - I walk everywhere and I don't do any kind of stretching beforehand because who does, right? But walking in heels - even little heels - really uses those muscles and I need to take better care of them.

I may be a work in progress, but at least I'm a self aware one, right?

Have a glorious Easter everyone; both WWers and cheerleaders.

[Diane65]

I don't blame you not walking at all today asamaic after a fun night out.
I do have loads of stamina but I think that you could give me a good run for the money asamaic. It made me smile that as I am going to visit a friend later and I mentioned that I was getting frustrated as I want to paint my shed today but its been raining most of the day. I have been putting up new curtains, done some hanging baskets popped to the tip and took DD to work and she said "You are always on an energy overdrive" I love being on a mission and I couldn't just sit and rest all day. I really need to get back in the exercise zone but not got any enthusiasm to do it. I need to break the cycle and get back into it as I feel far better for doing it.

Good luck with the hydrating and stretching. Have a fun Easter everyone.

[ejwrank]

Full steam ahead seems to your mission, Diane! I can only think that you must be burning off calories with all those physical chores you are doing in a day so don't worry about any exercise DVDs. I'd be happy to accomplish that in a week what you consider standard form in a day. And your shed can wait a day or a week for the new paint job -- hope the rain stops in Manchester and you can enjoy some sunny Easter days.

Asamaic -- another wonder woman -- this WW topic seems to be full of them! You are doing terrifically well after injuries and other problems. Can I just suggest you take it slow so that no one is worried about your heart rate (but maybe b*y or borrow another heart rate monitor as that may save you worry as yours may be giving false readings). As for stretches, etc -- son always does a good warm up before he goes for his runs and he is running long distances with 3 half-marathons in the past 2 months and another coming up. But then again my brother in the US who has been a long distance runner his whole life doesn't bother with much if any of a warm up and has almost never suffered from injury and at almost 69 years old he is still running daily and even joined in our local Park Run with son and his friend when he visited us in London a year ago. He said he relieved he did not disgrace himself but I think son was more worried that his uncle would beat him! Hope you enjoy the volunteering tomorrow and it's good that you vary running with volunteering and that the group at your local Park Run are such good company.

Mr G -- always a pleasure to read your posts and you are a wealth of information as always. Hope that stamina improves in the latter stages of your squash matches though I guess that cricket will soon be taking over most of your spare time.

Happy Easter one and all!

[asamaic]

Well, I think TheyCallMeMrGlass would be horrified to see the HRM activity from my run this morning, but I managed sub 37 minutes, which I am so pleased with! It's a PB for my local course and the best time I've done anywhere since 2015. 36-something is only two minutes off my original best time of 34-something, so I'm making tons of progress on recovering from the injury.

The thing about volunteering so often is a lot of people know who I am, and it made a difference running past so many marshals personally cheering me, which was so nice.

Felt virtuous, so went home via the shops and b*ght some smoothies, fresh fruit and low calorie meals. Have done quite a lot of steps today, but not quite as many as Leeds. I'm still not sure how we all managed to walk that far...

Hope everyone else is being good too!