I passed my stress test! This is a relief because I was stressed about it.

Well, obviously.

There’s been some concern among my Doctor Group about my Blood Pressure (BP) and Resting Heart Rate (RHR). I was given 1 month to lower my BP, which I did, but then my RHR was high for unknown reasons. This mystery led to scheduling today’s Stress Test with the cardiologist.

Lisa-the-Trainer from Pulse took her responsibility very seriously and has been encouraging me … (what’s the opposite of “gently”?)… to do more cardio, especially leading up to today’s test. I can’t prove it but I suspect this is the reason she added a second tabata sequence at the end of Sunday’s Trivia Cycle. I mean, when has she ever before said to the class, “Oh! I forgot, there’s one more song, just one more.”

FYI, tabata is a four-minute cycling sequence with a series of eight intervals that are 20 seconds all-out push, and then 10 seconds of rest. It’s killer and Lisa usually shortens the tabata classes by a few minutes because it is so hard.

But I can’t prove anything.

Anyway, I’ve definitely seen improvement cardio-wise. I did the cardio intensive Triple Threat class Sunday before Trivia Cycle, for a total of two hours (120 minutes) of high intensity cardio. According to my FitBit, my working heart rate dropped during the training from an average of 145 the first hour to an average of 130 the second hour. And before you say I was phoning it in, you try doing tabata after 2 hours of high intensity interval training (HIIT).

I’ve also lowered my resting heart rate from 94 to 89 in the 3 weeks I’ve been working from home, which I attribute to both the increased cardio and decreased stress, although it’s still too far from my baseline of 60. The 10,000 steps per day goal associated with all FitBit enthusiasts is also likely a favorable factor.

So for the stress test, Nurse Sandra attached little stickers all around my chest, two on my sides, and briefly a few on my arms and legs. Some of the places were ticklish, so I giggled. Sandra said some people cry from fear during the stress test, poor things, which I can understand. I calibrated my FitBit measured heart rate to the readout on the computer, finding them to be perfectly in sync.

Dr. Stevenson came in and explained the process. He told me about his FitBit step count and his issue keeping up with his wife’s count, (“my stride is longer”) while I jogged on the treadmill. Yes, my heart rate went up but my BP stayed normal. In the end, The Dreaded Test was over pretty fast and not nearly as hard as a typical gym workout. Dr. S pointed to the little spikey lines on the computer and said, “you’re heart is showing a normal, healthy response to stress. Based on these results, you can exercise as hard as you want to.”

Yay!

Don’t tell Lisa.

This week I lowered my resting heart rate by a daily average of 4 beats per minute (bpm) in three days of exercise. I know this because I started using a wearable health-tracking device.

Pick the Bit

I bought a FitBit Surge this week in conjunction with starting a new contract working from home. After asking friends who work from home, one of the most common comments was “I just don’t move for hours.” “How do you know?” I asked? The answer was to get a wearable.

So I ran to the Apple Store to look over the Apple Watch (as it turns out, not called the iWatch because that just sounds creepy.) I loved the big clunky Watch, especially how it integrated seamlessly with my iPhone and other Apple products. I could text! I could talk on the phone! I could HEAR my phone ringing even if it was in my purse or pocket!!

Then I went online and read zillions of reviews of Apple Watch and the family of FitBit products. I finally decided on a FitBit Surge because it’s more fitness focused, more accurate, and better at tracking the resting heart rate.

Tuesday through Friday

I ordered the FitBit Surge on Sunday, along with the associated scale, and I was at home when the FitBit arrived Tuesday. I didn’t open it until the end of the day, then slapped it on my wrist on my way to Pulse where I hopped onto an elliptical and waited for the steps to start adding up.

But they didn’t. Turns out the elliptical doesn’t register as steps, although my heart rate was tracked diligently. Same issue with the weight circuit in Tuesday’s Bone Builder class. I didn’t expect it to track MELT but by that point I was feeling like my FitBit didn’t get me at all. I fiddled with the settings overnight. Unfortunately Wednesday’s spinning and rather difficult Pilates were again not reported in my steps. At Thursday’s one-on-one training, Lisa asked me to stop looking at the FitBit before I fell off the elliptical. It wasn’t counting any steps.

Satur-Data

By Saturday, my FitBit had been diligently collecting information for three days even though I was still figuring things out. Kara came home for Spring Break, just in time to help me configure the specific activities. Once these were set, I could enter the exact time and date of the prior workouts, thereby aligning the heart rate and steps to the appropriate activities. I added Elliptical, Spinning, Pilates, Weights, Circuit Training, Workout, and Walk.

The first thing I noticed was that my heart rate during exercise was going down steadily. Hurrah! My FitBit connected with some friends who apparently walk waaaaay more than me. I was so frustrated Saturday by my lack of steps that I marched in place for 4000 steps while watching TV. Remember, I’ve been exercising, just not doing step-worthy activities.

My resting heart rate has been a concern of my doctor for the past several weeks. I usually measure about 60-70 at appointments but started registering around 100 bpm lately. She sent me to a pulmonologist who is currently running me through tests. He hasn’t found any root cause but suggested “we may need to do some conditioning,” meaning, “for the love of gosh, woman, do some cardio!” So I’ve increased my cardio dramatically, under the watchful eye of Lisa-the-Trainer … and now also watched by my FitBit.

On Thursday, my resting BPR was 94, Friday was 92, and Saturday was 90 with 1-2 hours of cardio each day. At this rate, my rate will rate ok soon enough!

Workout February 9, 2016: First, Cardio.

Today I returned to Cardio today after bronchitis and it was HARD! Bone Builder on Tuesday has two parts to it: Cardio and strength. Lisa varies the intervals between a few minutes at each station, or the way she did it today with half Cardio and then half strength.

I coughed throughout the cardio, even after lowering the resistance to embarrassingly easy levels … but I did it! And it felt GREAT! Lisa of Pulse Fitness talked me through without making me feel embarrassed and I ended up feeling quite strong.

We moved on to TRX, straps that hang from the ceiling which are used for a full-body strength workout. They can also be used for Pilates. In our case, we started with standing back and chest exercises. Surprisingly, my coughing stopped completely. We moved to some fluid exercises starting with a one-legged squat, then moving through the straps into a position parallel to the floor, standing on one leg with the second straight back, both arms open wide into a “T” shape. The chest openness, the ab engagement, and the balance felt like my body was ready to move and to get back onto the strength building bandwagon.

Earlier today I went to a cardiologist for an appointment snowed out by the blizzard two weeks ago. My primary care doctor sent me to check out an increase in my resting heart rate from 60-70 up to 100 or more, along with shortness of breath. Dr Cardio was thoughtful and thorough, explaining everything he ws doing and looking for throughout the exam. After completing his comprehensive exam he said, “I didn’t find anything, which is good (no major issue found) and bad (we can’t fix what we can’t see). He asked me to come back in a few weeks for a “stress test” so we can see where exactly I get sort of breath while exercising. Meanwhile, I’ll start listening to Lisa and step up my cardio.

After Bone Builder, was wonderful MELT. We start by lying on our backs and quietly paying attention to the tight spots in our bodies and any imbalances between the right and left sides. After bronchitis, I was just completely out of sync side to side. Lisa led us through a lower back massage using the foam roller, then upper back and shoulders. By the end of class I felt stronger, more in alignment, and was not coughing. I didn’t even cough during the deep breathing portion of MELT.

My goal in sharing my workout experiences is to help other people who may have health or orthopedic issues, or just fear of working out, to have a glimpse into how fitness is very accessible. When something comes up, like today’s cough, you adjust your workout and problem solve how to modify any exercises, with the help of a good trainer.

Try it!

Last week, my cube neighbor came over and sat down on my extra chair looking concerned.

“How many days per week do you go to the gym, Laura”

I explained that I try to go five days, Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday, but that I had to drop my Wednesday workout this semester while I’m taking a Program Management class.

“That’s too much,” said Joe.

“You need to spend more time with your husband,” he explained. Work out twice a week at the gym and the rest of the time at home so you can spend more time with your husband.”

I was surprised, “what if Jim wants me to go to the gym because he knows it keeps me healthy and in a good mood?”

“It doesn’t,” said Joe. “He wants you home.” He wants more time with you.

I’ve been with Jim since 1985 when I was dancing six hours a week and I’ve keep up a pretty aggressive exercise schedule ever since, so I wasn’t sure where Joe was coming from.

“Is this about me? Or about you?” I asked.

“I’m not sure,” said Joe.

How cute is Joe?

February 4, 2016

Did the blizzard keep me from working out? No! I worked out with Lisa that Friday as the snow clouds were gathering, while watching the lines of cars queue both going into and out of the grocery store parking lot.

When my road was barely plowed I slogged into Pulse for Tuesday’s Bone Builder and MELT, although I did ask Jim to drive me since the roads really were awful.

On Thursday, AFTER going to the doctor for a cough and getting antibiotics, I worked gently with Lisa on the Pilates Reformer, stretching my arms and legs but not doing any cardio (darn 🙂 ) per doctor’s orders.

So why was today, a week after the doctor, my first time back at the gym?

Because I was absolutely floored with bronchitis from Friday through Tuesday, my first time sick in years. I was busy Wednesday so tonight’s personal training with Lisa was my first time back in a full week.

While I was home sick, I worried that sitting still for so long and/or coughing so hard would reignite one or more of my old injuries. Moving meant coughing, so most exercise was out but I did pull out my soft MELT foam roller and gently stretch my back and not-quite-on-but-near whatever muscle it is around my ribs that hurt from coughing. Now, Thursday, I don’t have any rib-ish pain at all.

We skipped cardio (super-darn 🙂 🙂 ) in deference to my recent recovery but we did a full Pilates machine workout with leg circles, both on the Reformer and then side leg circles using the springs and the Pilates Tower. We did the arm series on the Reformer, which I think is secretly an ab exercise, and then lovely side stretches on the Pilates Chair.

I’m not sure I’m up for a cycling class yet but I certainly appreciate having machine Pilates available to help put me back together after being so sick.