Heart rate recovery question

[The New Kel 1,312]

Hi all!

I am 11 weeks post op. I have a question about how my heart feels after an overly strenuous activity.

When I do cardio for 30 minutes at the gym I am fine and my heart seems to return to resting rate after about 20 minutes. However, on a couple occasions I have attempted to hike with my husband, I am sure I am over-doing it. We hiked Monday (4 days ago), a 4.2 while hike with an elevation gain of 1100 ft, first 2 miles up, then last 2 miles down. it was in high-desert so the top elevation was 6800 ft. Did it in about 2 hrs. I was exhausted.

My heart rate took a few hours to return to resting. However, for the next 3 days, my heart pounded hard with any sort of action...getting dressed, getting out of the car, short walking, raising out of bed. I thought perhaps it was dehydration? So I drank more Water that usual and now 4 days after the hike I finally feel normal, no more hard pounding heart.

I used to experience this occasionally pre-surgery, when I was 50 lbs heavier. I had a full cardio work up and they found nothing wrong with my heart, thank goodness. Now being lighter I didn't expect to feel it. Could it be that I just am not in cardio shape enough to exert myself to this extent? I know I over did it. I worry about my heart/cardio because my brother had a heart attack at age 45.

Just wondering if anyone has felt this pounding heart sensation days after hard exercise?

Edited December 16, 2016 by The New Kel

[theantichick 2,204]

I would think since you had a full workup, that it's just due to not being in optimal cardio shape. I haven't started looking at recovery stats yet, because I'm still focused on how it takes virtually nothing for my heart rate to jump up. My resting rate is in the 90's and walking from my car into the building from the parking lot will jump it up to 150. I go into high training rates almost immediately standing up and walking a few feet. I've had a stress test recently, so my heart is fine. It's my cardio shape that's in the toilet. So I'm trying to get more cardio workouts in and get my endurance back. I've seen a slight improvement with the one workout a week I've been managing, so I know if I can actually manage to get several a week in, I'll see improvements rather quickly.

Hiking at altitude is a lot more stress on the old ticker than cardio at the gym. So it makes sense that it would take more out of you. And the dehydration also makes sense. You'll probably want to ramp up with some HIIT if you want to start doing more mountain hiking. Or start with shorter mountain hikes and increase your endurance more slowly.

[The New Kel 1,312]

@@theantichick

Thanks for the advice. Like you, I think there is a good possibility that what I experience is just plain old out of shape cardio. I could be guilty of trying to hard too soon to hike with my outdoor loving husband. Shorter hikes is a really good idea for now. And build up endurance. Its just so nice to be outside exercising! Also, more time on the cardio machines in my gym I think will help.

I can imaging that with your workouts your resting heart rate will drop. Just by losing 50 lbs so far my resting heart rate went from average 90 to 72. Yet despite the good RHR I can tell it is out of cardio shape.

Onward with my cardio gym time!

[theantichick 2,204]

It's so frustrating for me... I used to be very active. I was always heavy, but active and heavy. I used to belly dance, and when I was younger I played all kinds of sports. With belly dance, I had good core muscle strength and control.

Now, it's been so many years since I've done anything, the slightest exertion makes me out of breath, and I've already talked about my heart rate going crazy.

My trainer asks me to do simple crunches or sixes and I can't even do them because my core is so soft now. And because of the auto-immune we're having to start SO SLOWLY it barely feels like we're doing anything but if we push it more, my whole body flares up like I've got the flu and it takes me days to recover. And right now I haven't been to the gym in almost 3 weeks because I've been migraining almost non-stop. (Just started back on preventative meds, hoping to break the cycle.)

ARGH. I won't give up. I know I have ONE chance to get this right, and I will NOT give in, but GOSH it's frustrating as heck.

[The New Kel 1,312]

@@theantichick

Hang in there girl. I can imagine that your underlying auto-immune issues make things difficult. My daughter also has auto-immune problems. I can truly sympathize. The fast heartbeat is frustrating. It doesn't take mine long to shoot from 72-160 with moderate exercise. I feel sure that with your determination and regular workouts you'll get to your fitness cardio goal! In a year we will both be posting our success stories!!

[shedo82773 1,236]

After my RNY (3 years out) I started walking immediately. ( I also have Fibromyalgia, Arthritis) so I understand how it can knock us for a loop. But back to my story. When I would go out for my walk I would get dizzy and feel like I was going to pass out. Finally, I talked to my PCP after it started feeling like that when I stood up or got out of bed. With any kind of strenuous activity. He immediately told me to start taking an adult aspirin. And then he scheduled me for a Stress test (physically) and a medication-induced stress test. He was surprised that I lasted as long as I did. But what he didn't understand I had been walking every day. Well, my heart turned out fine but I ended up with an ulcer from the aspirin and we found out that I was dehydrated!! Go Figure that!! So if I was you I would drink fluids until you felt like you are meeting yourself as you come out of the bathroom. Push them hard. It is really strange that our bodies are just so awesome! We are made so well, but to keep em rollin we have to do certain things to help them out. Even to this day if I get lax on my fluids I can tell. You see I'm a huge coffee lover and would rather drink my coffee than eat. You Ladies are ROCKIN your Journey's!! KEEP ON KEEPING ON!!!

[OKCPirate 5,323]

At the rate you are going, you will get your heart strong again. Think about the stresses your body has been under the last few months. Fat moving out, the organs are getting in the right places. It's not an automatic transition. But when I really started to stress myself with the C25K program is when I saw the best results in cardio function. I finally get close to full recovery in 5 minutes. Now hiking at altitude in the desert, that will wipe you out. And it is dang near impossible to keep enough Water in your system and that will cause some flutter in the heart. When your electrolytes get out of balance your heart will race. Add to that the strain of the lack of 02 and it gets a little worse. But you are doing great and getting stronger. Enjoy the challenge and the view...

[The New Kel 1,312]

@@OKCPirate

Thanks! I think I will look into the C25K program. It sounds like a great way to get into cardio shape. I love pic you posted, what a view!

[OKCPirate 5,323]

@@The New Kel The view was great. That was my first 14,000 climb up Long's Peak in CO. Lost six pounds that day.