What does it mean when your heart and pulse rate are high?

[Miss Seaneen]

I registered at the gym on Thursday and the personal trainer measured my heart rate and etc. He got worried and measured it 3 times- my resting heart rate is over 100, and on the treadmill it hit 180 and he freaked out and stopped it.

So what does this mean, am I in danger of having a heart attack if I go too fast? I'm hoping doing more cardio exercises will sort it out. The only thing i did well on in the gym were the upper body exercises since the only thing I can say in my body's defence is that I have very strong arms.

Meh, so unfit.

[Moochiecat]

What did the trainer say about it?

[Miss Seaneen]

He was quite worried- he asked me if I had a stress disorder so I grudgingly mentioned that I was bi-polar and prone to panic attacks, which didn't seem to make a difference to him. He asked about my diet and I told him I ate healthily- because I believe I do. He said it was quite worrying because of my age and stressed that I need to do cardio exercises such as the cross trainer and treadmill. It made me feel like crap as the place is crammed with gorgeous skinny girls and when I was in the gym, not even on a high pace on the treadmill he panicked and pressed the emergency stop button when my heart rate hit 180. Which was a bit humiliating.

He told me to take it easy and do it slowly, which I intend to do. But I don't know if 3 times a week for an hour is enough, if I spend the other days walking.

I went swimming too- nothing more sobering than seeing your body in a full length mirror :no

(Sorry, I've wandered into "whinging" territory...)

[Moochiecat]

I think this is a situation where you need to go to your doctor, and talk to him about it. If you are on any meds, and your doctor knows your medical history, it's best to hear what he has to say.

We can all give you advice, but none of us are medical professionals, and it would be wrong for any of us to say you should do this, or you should do that. This is more a doctor question than an ADBB question. :hug

What it sounds like though, is that you're going to have to be progressing very slowly with your exercise and your doctor might have some good suggestions about how to go about this.

I'm surprised your trainer didn't tell you to go see your doctor!!

[carmstrongus]

Please do see a doctor. I wouldn't stress yourself out until you talk to a doc. I used to have a pulse around 98 most of the time, UNTIL I cut back on caffeine. I went from 6-7 sodas to 2 a day. Just doing that took me down to 82 pulse rate. THEN, by losing a few pounds took me down to 72 on my last doctor's visit (last Friday). Another thing that might increase the rate is NERVES. Being with a trainer... in a place filled with skinny people working out.. my pulse goes up just thinking about it!

Still, you should see your doctor just to make sure. It's better to be safe!

[is thin possible?]

Don't panic! I also struggled with a high pulse rate and often thought I had something horribly wrong! It started with one of my pregnancies and the Dr.'s kept telling me I was having panic attacks and it may have been exasperated by highter level of hormones due to the pregnancy. True, I am a little bit of an anxious person, but to me, the diagnosis didn't fit. Two years later I returned to my Dr. and told him I was feeling the same way I had during my pregnancy two years earlier. Finally, he sent me for a cardiac work-up and it was discovered that I have Mitral Valve Prolapse. Not a life threatening condition at all! However, my cardiologist told me that studies have shown that women with MVP for some reason tend to have a higher level of Adrenaline which gives them the jittery feeling and elevated pulse.

He placed me on a minimal dose of Toprol, a Beta Blocker, whick blocks the effect of adrenaline on the heart and I immediately felt tremendously better!

It is true that caffeine has a negative effect on this condition so back off on the caffeine.

And...as I continue to lose weight I feel much better.

Talk to your doctor soon! Good luck and blessings! :wave

[Emo_Boy]

The average resting pulse rate is around 70 ... so above 100 is NOT good ... see a doc!

[sadie147]

I'd agree you should see a Dr. as well.

But i'm wondering, did he try a different HR monitor onthe other tries? have you tried doing a manual pulse yourself as well?

[Princess]

When your heart rate got up to 180 (I am assuming this is beats/minute), when the personal trainer was measuring your heartrate, was he using the handgrips on the treadmill, or did you have a heart monitor device stuck to your chest? Coz I have heard the handgrips on the machines can be inaccurate.

Also, how long were you on the treadmill before you reach 180?

Reason I ask, is because just yesterday when I was on the cross trainer I took my own pulse - by counting how many times it beat in 15 secs then multiplying by 4 to get beats per minute, and I was over 200 - and that was after doing about 10 mins going hard.

So unless you got to 180 after just 2 mins of exercise, then theres something wrong with the both of us :sadblinky

But then again, my resting heart rate is not 100.

[Fluffynomore]

I would also see a doctor. Do you have high BP?

I have had a rapid heart rate for years. My doctor considered putting me on a beta blocker (toprol) also. I have been able to get it down to a reasonable rate by doing 30 minutes of cardio every other day. Now my pulse only gets up to about 145-150 during the workout and my recovery is down to about 110 after 60 seconds of cooling down. Last time I was in the doctor's office he was impressed that I wasn't my usual off the charts and had a heart rate around 90. I have been doing the cardio for a year and a half, so (at least with me) it takes some time.