After talking about it, thinking about, procrastinating it, it finally happened - I got a heart rate monitor. Okay, so my boyfriend did all the leg work - aka Amazon.com work and ordered it - read how to use it - details, details, let's not get lost in the details - And despite knowing how I feel - and as I have said before getting the "maybe you'd feel better if you did a bit of exercise" speech in many contorted fashions - well folks - guess what - apparently I am exercising 24/7. Yep, that's right - being 40 years old and using the equation of 220 - 40 = 180 - 180 is my maximum heart rate for exercising. Then you take 60% of that maximum to arrive at the anaerobic threshold, the average percentage for most that you begin to exert oxygen deprivation (normally in a good way) for exercise purposes - aka your working. So, that number is 180 x .6 = 108. Are you still with me??? So, this is just a rough estimate, using these calculations, the suggestion is for us CFS'ers - aka NK cell dysfunction disorder aka ME aka Neuro-Endocrine Immune Disorder - aka - I look fine but feel like crap most of the 24 hours out of the day - is to stay below the 60% thresholed.
So, let the fun begin - let "the wild rumpis start" its experiment time. So, its about 1pm I am back in bed, (but I had a great day yesterday - will post about that later) - so we put the chest strap on, watch in place and as I got up from lying down (heart rate moving between 65 - 79) we did the clean the kitchen experiment. A task that has brought much debate in my household, and has brought confusion when I explain I can empty the top part of the dishwasher - but don't feel well when I do the bottom rack - or I can make dinner OR clean up - but not both back to back....walking to the kitchen (HR 80-90), emptying top rack (85-95), emptying bottom rack (fluctuating between 85 -99), washing pots and pans (never below 100 - maximum 112). Okay kitchen done - and I have had a constant 27 point fluctuation in my heart rate.) Alright - need a rest - back on chair, feet up heart rate goes between 72 - 85. Alright - let's try laundry...unloading dryer, folding and placing in laundry basket - range 85 -102...okay we are seeing a pattern here - daily tasks - not only cause and increase in my heart rate, but also have many fluctuations ranging 20 beats for the same task. Okay, rest again - get up to get some juice and water - lift arm to get glass, open refrigerator door - we are climbing we are climbing - Houston we have reached 100 again.
Alright I begin to think - perhaps despite being 40 years old, with extremely LOW blood pressure, LOW cholesterol, not overweight - perhaps because I don't exercise I am hitting these numbers. So I decide to take my dog for a short walk - to the top of the mild incline four houses down....my heart rate reaches 140. Not only does it hit 140 it bounces like a Mexican Jelly Bean all over the board - 14 0 - rest drop 110 - stand to long in one place back up to 130...you get the picture. And to clarify "walk" is a strong word for what I was doing...more of a leisurely stroll- with multiple stops for Sophie to sniff...and it was a bit on the warm and muggy side - another thing I learned is not good for Orthsotatic Intolerance...Once again - Houston we have a problem...
But within this problem once again the constant questioning of am I not pushing hard enough - maybe I'm just a bit down - maybe if I did more....maybe if I ignored the symptoms they would just go away - a heart rate monitor is a powerful tool - to see numbers replicating how you are feeling - and the next time someone says maybe I should try more exercise - I can confidently say - that currently - day to day life is doing wonders on my beating heart.
