mati after cycling (age 53)

[Leongsam]

you have a super healthy heart with a heart rate recovery of -31.

I find it very hard to get my heart rate above 160 nowadays. It makes me super miserable.

 

[Leongsam]

I have to go super duper hard for a long time with multiple hard intervals to get it above 160bpm

 

[cowbellc]

There is no need to get depressed over a statement of fact. All the wealth in the world means nothing when you're dead.

If you're alive but no wealth, also means nothing

 

[kaninabuchaojibye]

I find it very hard to get my heart rate above 160 nowadays. It makes me super miserable.

I have to go super duper hard for a long time with multiple hard intervals to get it above 160bpm

the answer may be more complex, but it is well known that your resting heart rate decreases with increasing fitness.

your heart system becomes more "efficient" as your resting heart rate lowers with increasing fitness, and your heart is pumping more blood per stroke (as compared to a relatively unfit person, who needs more pumping heart strokes, to go thru the whole HIIT workout)

so it will be "increasing difficult" fot a fit person like you to go above 160 nowadays.

btw, i face the same problem! too. i used to hit 180 when i started my exercise regime some years back, but nowadays, i am happy if i can hit close to 160.

 

[kaninabuchaojibye]

I find it very hard to get my heart rate above 160 nowadays. It makes me super miserable.

fyi

Getting Older Affects Your Max Heart Rate (But That’s OK!)
blog.fitbit.com

The other day I went for a run with my son. We’re good training partners: If we raced a 5K today we’d finish within less than a minute of each other. I know that won’t be the case for long, but these days, when we head out on an easy run, our effort level is roughly the same for the same pace.

At that easy pace, however, his Fitbit tracker shows his heart rate hovering around 175 beats per minute, while mine stays in the low 130s. Even if I started sprinting all out up a hill I wouldn’t be able to raise my heart rate to the beats per minute that he hits as soon as he starts working hard. Lately, I max out in the high 160s.

Am I just in better shape than he is? Nope. It’s more likely due to the fact that I’m 52 years old and he’s 15.

How Age and Exercise Affect Your Max Heart Rate

The relationship between the heart and exercise has been studied for more than six decades and the research is clear: Max heart rate—the highest heart rate you can safely hit during exercise—decreases with age regardless of lifestyle or level of fitness.

Why the drop? The reasons aren’t completely known, but a 2013 University of Colorado Medical School study found that one reason could be slower electrical activity in the heart’s pacemaker cells. Basically, “your heart can’t beat as often,” says Roy Benson, running coach and co-author of Heart Rate Training.

However, a lower max heart rate may not necessarily affect your splits. “It’s not a foregone conclusion that a decrease in heart rate max means a decline in performance,” says Joe Friel, coach and author of Fast After 50 and The Triathlete’s Training Bible. “That’s a very common but unsupported view of athletes who are ill informed about the science behind heart rate. They assume a high heart rate means a high level of performance. Not true.”

Your Target Heart Rate is What Matters

One way you can compensate for a slower heart rate is to get and stay fit. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that adults get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio a week or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity a week.

“When you go into serious training, you stretch the cardiac muscles,” says Benson. “That’s how you improve stroke volume.” And, according to the American Heart Association, when your stroke volume is higher—meaning your body can pump more blood with each heartbeat—the heart doesn’t have to beat as many times to deliver the same amount of blood to your muscles.

So how can you try to exercise at the right intensity? If you own a Fitbit Alta HR, Charge 2, Blaze, or Surge and have your birthday logged in your profile, your tracker can help. Here’s how it works: Using the common formula of 220 minus your age, Fitbit will calculate your maximum heart rate and then create three target heart rate zones—fat burn (50 to 69 percent of your max heart rate), cardio (70 to 84 percent of your max hr), and peak (85 to 100 percent of your max heart rate)—based off that number. After exercising, you can click on the workout summary within your exercise tile to see how many minutes you logged in each zone.

These zones explain why my son and I can run together—at different heart rates—and feel like we’re expending the same amount of effort.

For instance, at age 15, my son’s max heart rate is 205 and his cardio heart rate zone is 144 to 172

At age 52, my max heart rate is 168 and my cardio heart rate zone is 118 to 144.

When we run in our cardio zones our heart rates can be up to 54 beats apart at any given time yet the moderate-intensity effort feels the same.

If you’re like me and regularly run with people of different ages, keep this in mind: Your heart rate during exercise is unique to you and only tells you how hard you’re working, not how fit you are. “There is absolutely no reason to compare heart rates between two people,” says Friel. “Doing so tells us nothing about either person as far as fitness or performance is concerned. It’s like comparing shoes sizes to determine how fit someone is. There is little in the way of an absolute and direct relationship between the two.”

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or condition. Always check with your doctor before changing your diet, altering your sleep habits, taking supplements, or starting a new fitness routine.
Jonathan Beverly

Jonathan Beverly is freelance writer and author of Your Best Stride and Run Strong, Stay Hungry. The former editor-in-chief of Running Times, he draws on decades of experience in the sport. He has run 26 marathons with a 2:46:04 best. Jonathan also coaches high school cross country.

 

[Leongsam]

fyi

Getting Older Affects Your Max Heart Rate (But That’s OK!)
blog.fitbit.com

​

It may be OK from a physical standpoint but I'm struggling mentally.

 

[nirvarq]

Effects of gratitude mentality on neural network functional connectivity and brain-heart coupling surpasses any routine physical exercises in the long run and is even critical.

 

[Kee Chew]

 

[KuanTi01]

heard there is a FairPrice undertaker.
is it owned by The Unions also ?

Fairprice Casket is not related to NTUC.

 

[KuanTi01]

There is no need to get depressed over a statement of fact. All the wealth in the world means nothing when you're dead.

Always remember the English proverb "health is wealth"

 

[KuanTi01]

So what are you trying to tell me? I am in my 80s, collecting cardboard for a living. You're saying it's not an enjoyable and a fulfilling undertaking? I beg to differ! It is good exercise for me, in addition to being a great income generator.

Our dear Speaker in parliament BG Tan will love you for that!

 

[KuanTi01]

What is your resting heart rate? Mine is below 60 beats per minute. Didn't realize this until the doctor at the blood bank told me.

You have an athlete's heart! Good for you.

 

[kaninabuchaojibye]

It may be OK from a physical standpoint but I'm struggling mentally.

you have to accept that you are aging
once you can accept your gradual decline in potency, you will be at peace
denial makes you more miserable
haaaa