Exercising with Fibromyalgia
By David Jenkin
Heart Rates in Exercise
When exercising, even at a gentle level, your heart rate increases, and quite possibly your respiratory rate too. This is a natural reaction from your autonomic nervous system, your Beta receptors in your heart and lungs react to stimuli such as exercise, anxiety and responses to pain/illness by raising the heart rate accordingly to cope with the changes.
The harder you work, the faster the heart rate reaches, and naturally there is a cut-off point where it becomes unsafe to work. The first thing you need to do is work out what your maximum heart rate is. This figure changes for everybody, depending on your age and applies equally to both males and females. You can calculate your own maximum heart using the following formula (you will need a calculator):
206 – (0.7 x Age)
So, for a 55 year old, you would first calculate 0.7 x Age, or 70%, which is 38.5. You then subtract this figure from 206 = a calculated heart rate maximum of 167.5. You then use this number to calculate the following heart rate ranges for fat burn/fitness activity such as walking, gentle swimming or cycling etc. The fat burn training zone is 60-70% of your heart rate maximum (167.5 x 0.6 and 167.5 x 0.7 – in this case that works out as 100-118bpm. Round down on the lower figure and up on the higher figure.
You then have the aerobic/cardio/endurance training zone, which is working a bit harder – ranging from brisk walking to gentle jogging. This is 70-80% of your heart rate maximum (117-134bpm). The next training zone is higher level cardio training e.g. running, jogging with inclines, spinning classes etc and represents a heart rate training zone of 80-90% (134-151bpm). The final training zone is much smaller and is described as maximal effort, this level should only be entered in HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) where you enter maximal training for no more than 20 secs before resting. This level of training is unsuitable for many people, if you DID want to consider working at this level and you are in any doubt of your capability then you MUST seek medical advice. The training range is 90-95% (150-160bpm).
95% represents the cardiac red line, which should not be crossed. The heart is a muscle and should not be worked to capacity, even for a short time, as this could negotiate the efficiency to which it receives oxygenated blood.
When exercising, ensure you are training within the correct heart rates for what it is you want to do. If you are looking to work at a gentle aerobic level and are finding it too hard, that probably means your heart rate is too high and you have entered the next training phase up. You may of course make it easier on yourself and come back down again. The fitter you get, the more comfortable your heart rate becomes, and you may well be able to operate at a higher training level in the future – but only when you are ready.
Martin Westby (your magazine editor) and I have recently co-authored a Self-Help Exercise Guide that includes a whole section on how to do establish this consistency effectively. To order a copy please follow the following web link:
http://ukfibromyalgia.com/pages/exercise.php
Or alternatively you can email the magazine at office@UKFibromyalgia.com or myself on davidjenkin@hotmail.com and we can assist you in purchasing your copy. Maybe somebody could order you a copy for Christmas! To contact me directly, or enquire about 1:1 training prices please check out my website www.davidjenkinfitness.co.uk or email me directly on davidjenkin@hotmail.com.