Elevated Resting Heart Rate

I got a Fit*****arge HR for my birthday today, woohoo! Unfortunately, it is making me really nervous. My resting heart rate has never been below 80--it was 86 while I sat in a movie theater... And when I went on a leisurely walk in the woods, my rate spiked to 160, so I turned around right away.

Here are my stats, if it makes a difference:

Three weeks post op (revision from band)

Female

Age 41

Height: 4'11"

Weight: 154

BMI: 31

Should I freak out while I wait for Monday morning, or is there an easy explanation? Thanks!

Dehydration can make you have an elevated heart rate 

Thanks. Hard to imagine that I could be dehydrated--I'm getting in the recommended fluids. But I think I am going to do a day of all shakes today and see if there is a difference.

Though it probably would have been discovered in your pre op testing... Check your thyroid. When mine was overactive my resting heart rate was well over 100. 

Also, check how you are wearing it. It can give bad readings if you do not have it placed correctly on your wrist. There are instructions on fitbit's website explaining exactly how to wear it. It must be high enough on your arm, at least a finger width above your wrist bone. It took me a few days of adjusting before I figured out how to best wear it. My instinct was to tighten it too much, so I had to loosen it several times. You should wear it looser most of the time, and tighten it when you are working out.

Thanks. I played around with the placement--no difference :( 

For a normal range of resting HR is 70-90.  The higher number is if you are not active.  The more you get in shape, walk and such, your resting HR will get lower.  When you exercise, your HR will get higher. It is supposed to do this.  Everyone's HR is different based on their age, weight, and level of healthy.  For example Lance Armstrong's resting HR is in the high 30's. For an average competitive runner or cyclist, their resting HR is 50's down to 40's.  

For me, my resting HR in the hospital was 64.  When I lose weight, my normal resting HR in in the 50's.  When you check you normal resting HR each morning, and you find it elevated, it usually means you are dehydrated or are over training.

When I walk my HR is around 105.  When I bike for 2 hours it averages 145.  When I go to a spinning class, it will climb to 164.  When I was 10 years younger, It would get to 172.

Don't be afraid when your HR gets high when excercising.  The myth that your HR should be 220-(your age) is only a range.  The fitter you become, the harder/longer it takes to get your HR high.  That is why you see tiny people running at the gym with the treadmill aimed like a rocket.  They are trying to get their HR elevated.  For most people, walking at fast pace will elevate your HR.  

Have fun learning about your body and getting heart healthy.

Thanks, but I'm concerned because, while I know I'm not in great shape, I'm also not in bad shape, either. i work out 30-60 minutes a day with either walking, jogging, or elliptical, and have for several years. I have always checked my HR on the elliptical and it's never spiked up super high--usually around 110 during a moderate workout. The high rate has just been since surgery... I'm calling in a few hours, and hopefully will get some idea why.

I can't tell you about your specific situation, but I can tell you that last summer, right before starting my 7 month pre-op process, I saw a cardiologist because my heart rate was so high and I was feeling chronically short of breath. My phone has a heart rate monitor, and I was averaging 97-112 resting. The cardiologist did some blood work and looked at a previous stress echocardiogram I'd had and basically told me I was just out of shape. I was at my highest weight at that point, and my consultation with him was what led to me starting to play Dance Dance Revolution again for the first time since college. I slowly got more and more active, got a bike, joined a gym, started walking more with my dog, and my resting HR now runs 55-75. It still gets into the 150s during intense exercise though.

Thanks. This is actually a new problem since surgery. I work out regularly, and never see elevated numbers like that--even during intense work outs, so it freaks me out to see them so high on a quiet walk in the woods!