Are you fit, but unhealthy: check your ticker

Fitness and health don’t walk hand in hand. People measure fitness in many ways: weight, mass, endurance, etc. Rarely, do people measure the fitness, and consequently the health of their heart. Heart rate recovery is a simple, yet effective way to rule out the potential of future heart problems – I’m talking about life threatening problems. This can be done as a self assessment, and if you use a trainer, they should absolutely be aware of and use this measure, especially if you have a family or personal history of heart complications.

The New England Journal of Medicine released a study in 1999, heart rate recovery which concluded that “a delayed decrease in the heart rate during the first minute after graded exercise, …, is a powerful predictor of overall mortality….” Based on the research, a recovery of 12 beats or less, one minute post peak exercise, was noted as abnormal recovery. In other words, if you work to your peak, for a given set of exercise, and your heart beat doesn’t slow down, 13 or more beats, after the first minute, well – you’ve got a potential problem.

That’s the bad news, but it’s not all bad. Anytime you see a deficit in life, that means you’ve got an upside – room for improvement. Exercise, rest and solid nutrition all work together towards better recovery, and a healthier heart (consistency is key).

Now to the how – you can do this simple, yet important, assessment with your trainer. If you’re not working with a trainer, you should be, or you can self assess, in a couple different ways. The easiest would be to pick up a heart rate monitor (with a chest strap). In lieu of a heart rate monitor, you can find your pulse, in the wrist or neck. Press lightly when checking the pulse in your neck. Do this test once you’ve done your warm-up and you’re in your main work sets. Once you’ve completed a set of exercise (weights, bike, swim, run…) check your pulse. While watching the second hand, count the beats for ten seconds, then multiply by six. You’ll then wait for one minute and check your heart beat again. The important number is 13 beats or greater per minute slower. If your recovering 12 beats per minute or less, then it’s a good idea to see your doctor.

As you progress in your training, it’s always a good idea to check this number. I wear a monitor whenever I train, regardless of modality. You’ll see over time, given the proper programming, greater and greater recovery, and a healthier heart.

It’s that time – yep. This is the time that every fitness, or health sales person looks forward too. It’s Christmas, after Christmas. This is an emotional purchasing bonanza. This is when all of the misfit toys vow to get off the island, and become that shiny new toy, that everyone wants. I remember this well – the personal training quotas would swell, the training sales team would make a Kafka like “Metamorphosis”. But, did anyone benefit from this? The answer is yes, some did, but a larger group didn’t. They stuck it out until March, or maybe April, but the commitment was too weak to sustain – it was a weak emotional response, during a time thats notorious for depression. Why – what’s it about the New Year’s resolution that is such a setup for failure, that by April, people are joking about how quickly it all fell apart? Lots of reasons!!

Picking some magical day, to do the right thing, has the same level of success as buying flowers for your significant other, after you’ve screwed up – very small. Making resolutions has been around since the Babylonians and subsequently the Roman Empire, typically as an affirmation of the ruling class, or the inauguration of a new set of rulers. It wasn’t until much later that the New Year’s resolution became in inward commitment to change, as opposed to an external affirmation.

Compliance to our resolutions is spotty, at best. You can conduct your own anecdotal study, by talking to your friends, co-workers, etc. it’s not that our resolutions aren’t valid, or lack a sincere desire for change. The phenomenon of failure, in re New Years resolutions is much deeper.

We all have vices – whether it be eating, drinking, smoking, drugs, gambling, wastefulness, etc. Our resolutions to remove behaviors are the problem. We are simply trying to eliminate a symptom, as opposed to the underlying issue. And while it’s true that sometimes a cigar is simply a cigar, often times – our vices are clever disguises for much deeper problems, emotional, physical, etc.

This year, instead of making a resolution to remove a symptom from your life, it’s time to ask yourself these questions: why do I do this behavior? “Do I over-eat because I’m depressed”; “do I smoke to relieve tension”; “do I drink too much, so I can forget”.

A healthy lifestyle doesn’t evolve by removing symptoms, it’s a manifestation of change through introspection, through understanding why you do the things you do, and what you can do to address the negatives that motivate an undesired behavior. Simply picking one day a year to remove a symptom always sets you up for failure – since that day is always there for you to give it another shot – but that day is NOT your salvation. It’s time to be resolute, in your resolve, to not make resolutions, but to get to the root of the problem that sets your sails towards a healthier, and happier you.

Don’t just walk into a gym, this January, with the goal of losing weight (or some other goal), ask yourself why you want to lose weight, why you want to get ripped and look great on the beach, and what is it about that specific goal. Were you your happiest at that weight, if so why. You should always ask yourself – why, as should your trainer. Don’t opt for someone that doesn’t want to take that journey with you. Any jackass can take you out on the floor and make you puke, but a real pro can get you living the lifestyle you’ve always wanted for yourself. Health, fitness, etc shouldn’t be transient, in your life – it should be a constant.  Contact us, to begin your journey.