1 00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:05,000 Speaker 1: Welcome to Fitness Disrupted, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:13,640 Speaker 1: I am Tom Holland and this is Fitness Disrupted. Fit 3 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: tip your resting heart rate. Let's talk about resting heart rates, 4 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:21,800 Speaker 1: something that endurance athletes other fitness people love to talk about, 5 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:26,079 Speaker 1: love to compare at cocktail parties and why Well, for 6 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:30,720 Speaker 1: good reason. Okay, generally speaking, a lower resting heart rate. 7 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:34,239 Speaker 1: What does that mean? A more efficient heart, more efficient 8 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 1: heart function, and yes, better cardiovascular fitness. So the fitter 9 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 1: you are, generally speaking, the lower your resting heart rate 10 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 1: is going to be. So what are the numbers, Well, 11 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 1: if you look at the articles and the research, generally speaking, 12 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 1: the numbers that are gonna get thrown around are a 13 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:58,280 Speaker 1: range of sixty to one hundred beats per minute. Okay, 14 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:01,959 Speaker 1: that's the range low end sixty. I on Harvard has 15 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:05,400 Speaker 1: it at six beats, and they believe above ninety to 16 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:09,399 Speaker 1: be high. So what are factors that influence this? Well, 17 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:12,679 Speaker 1: I gave you one. Your fitness level, right, but your 18 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: genes they play a role. Your age. Generally speaking, your 19 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:20,720 Speaker 1: resting heart rate goes up as you get older, and 20 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:24,400 Speaker 1: once again, as you increase your fitness level, it goes 21 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 1: down it goes down. Spanish cyclist you want extremes, Miguel 22 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 1: Indurain reportedly had a resting heart rate of twenty eight 23 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:39,800 Speaker 1: beats per minutes. Okay, well trained athletes are going to 24 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:46,400 Speaker 1: have resting heart rates generally in the forties, thirties to forties. 25 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 1: I know, high thirties, forties, fifties, but they are well 26 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 1: below sixty beats. And again it is a function of 27 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:57,880 Speaker 1: the work they have done. And that is great news. 28 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:02,400 Speaker 1: And again that's why I talk about the metric of 29 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 1: weight being but one way to measure the success of 30 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 1: your fitness program. I love. Yes we want to lose weight, 31 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 1: Yes we want to be our healthiest weight. But this 32 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 1: is another fantastic way to measure the success of your 33 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: fitness program, because you know what you're resting. Heart rate 34 00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 1: can go down and the weight not go down in 35 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:22,720 Speaker 1: the way you want to see it. In other words, 36 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:25,200 Speaker 1: you can get fitter without losing a significant amount of 37 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:29,000 Speaker 1: weight right away and really quickly. Obviously this takes time 38 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:32,000 Speaker 1: as well, though. It is a function of endurance training 39 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:36,000 Speaker 1: over time and exercising over time. And let me just 40 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: give you one study about resting heart rate and longevity, 41 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:44,120 Speaker 1: and this was two thousand and eleven December Journal of 42 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:50,480 Speaker 1: American Medical Association, title Temporal Changes in resting heart rate 43 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 1: and Deaths from Ischemic heart Disease. Okay, this is a 44 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:59,639 Speaker 1: large study twenty nine people without any history of heart disease, 45 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:04,240 Speaker 1: high blood pressure, or any other cardiovascular disorders. And they 46 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 1: were measuring the heart rate over ten years. So they 47 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: measured the heart rate when they started to study and 48 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:12,800 Speaker 1: again ten years later. Well were the findings. Well compared 49 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:16,520 Speaker 1: to people whose resting heart rates were under seventy beats 50 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:19,440 Speaker 1: per minute at the studies start and its end, those 51 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 1: whose resting heart rate rose from under seventy to more 52 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:27,440 Speaker 1: than eighty five more likely to have died during those 53 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 1: ten years during the course of the study. So again, 54 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: those who maintained that low heart rate did better than 55 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:37,320 Speaker 1: those whose heart rate went up over the course of 56 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:41,840 Speaker 1: the study. Now, not a perfect study by any means. Okay, 57 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:45,240 Speaker 1: large number of people, but even though they controlled for 58 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 1: certain things, this is but one small study that were 59 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 1: not small study, but small piece of research that says 60 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:58,240 Speaker 1: maybe it makes a difference. It's one of those things 61 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 1: by the way that for me an exercise physiologist, common 62 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 1: sense exercise the heart. Being a muscle more efficient, lower 63 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 1: heart rate at rest working better makes sense to me. 64 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:13,440 Speaker 1: But that's one study to throw in the mix, all right, 65 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:16,000 Speaker 1: So how do we lower it. I'm gonna give you 66 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:19,240 Speaker 1: four ways, four ways you can lower your resting heart rate, 67 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:21,400 Speaker 1: and I'll get to the one already gave away at 68 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 1: the end. But number one, let's say, reduce stress, meditation, 69 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 1: all those things. Controlling stress can help reduce your resting 70 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:32,960 Speaker 1: heart rate, which is incredible the mind body connection, right. 71 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 1: Number two, avoid tobacco, okay, smoking things like that. Smokers 72 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:43,440 Speaker 1: have higher resting heart rates. Getting rid of that smoking 73 00:04:43,839 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 1: it's gonna help bring it back down. Okay. Being overweight 74 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 1: carrying around extra weight makes sense, right. The bigger your body, 75 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:55,560 Speaker 1: the more the heart has to work to get the 76 00:04:55,600 --> 00:05:00,360 Speaker 1: blood to all your different uh body parts. Right, So 77 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:04,040 Speaker 1: when you lose weight, that can help reduce your heart 78 00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 1: rate as well. And finally, the one we care the 79 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:12,640 Speaker 1: most about or or can control significantly and should measure 80 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:17,919 Speaker 1: is exercise. All right, So how do you measure it? Ideally, 81 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:20,240 Speaker 1: you want to measure it first thing in the morning, okay, 82 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:23,800 Speaker 1: right after waking up, or actually I should say, if 83 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:26,360 Speaker 1: you have an alarm. You want to wait a couple 84 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:29,000 Speaker 1: of minutes because if the alarm is allowed, you know 85 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 1: your heart rate will be elevated just by getting woken 86 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:34,680 Speaker 1: up by that alarm. But the way I do it 87 00:05:34,839 --> 00:05:38,000 Speaker 1: and like to do it is I actually keep my 88 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:41,280 Speaker 1: heart rate strapped by my bed. Now we live in 89 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:43,800 Speaker 1: a time I have to say that you have wearables 90 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:45,479 Speaker 1: that are tracking this all the time, and I'm sure 91 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:49,600 Speaker 1: many of you already have this data risk based heart 92 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:53,679 Speaker 1: rate monitors which measure your heart rate all the time. 93 00:05:54,279 --> 00:05:56,960 Speaker 1: So many of you have this data already, but you 94 00:05:56,960 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 1: want to look at that lowest number. And I have 95 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:03,160 Speaker 1: to say, and I've said this on previous shows, that 96 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:07,520 Speaker 1: risk based heart rate for me is not super accurate. 97 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:10,720 Speaker 1: It is more accurate when you are resting than it 98 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:14,320 Speaker 1: is when you are exercising, in my opinion and experience. 99 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:16,320 Speaker 1: So if you're gonna use it for any metric, I 100 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:18,560 Speaker 1: would rather you actually use it for your resting heart 101 00:06:18,640 --> 00:06:21,680 Speaker 1: rate then when you are really pushing the intensity of 102 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:24,600 Speaker 1: your exercise. But that being said, you want to measure 103 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:27,600 Speaker 1: it if you are doing it on your own a 104 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:29,320 Speaker 1: couple of minutes after you wake up in the morning, 105 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 1: I wake up I stay in bed for a few minutes, 106 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:35,320 Speaker 1: kind of relax. Then I put that heart rate strap 107 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:38,160 Speaker 1: on and I relax even more, and I stare at 108 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:40,600 Speaker 1: my wrist and I see how well I can get it. 109 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:45,400 Speaker 1: So I breathe deeply and just look for that lowest number. 110 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:48,840 Speaker 1: You want to do that over the course of several days, three, 111 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:51,520 Speaker 1: four or five to get an average, and that's going 112 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:54,280 Speaker 1: to be your resting heart rate. If you have no technology, 113 00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:57,120 Speaker 1: it doesn't matter. Do the same thing. Alarm goes off. 114 00:06:57,160 --> 00:07:00,400 Speaker 1: Wait a couple of minutes, take your wrist, paste with 115 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:05,080 Speaker 1: your fingers, you don't need a wearable, and measure your 116 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:07,680 Speaker 1: heart rate. You can do it for thirty seconds and 117 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:12,000 Speaker 1: then multiplied by two or count the full sixty seconds 118 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 1: and get your resting heart rate that way. So there's 119 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:16,440 Speaker 1: three different ways, right. You can do it with your 120 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:20,160 Speaker 1: fingers on your wrist, do it manually and do it 121 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:23,520 Speaker 1: for several days. You can do it with your traditional 122 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:27,840 Speaker 1: old school at this point chest strap and and I 123 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:29,480 Speaker 1: still prefer that I want to get it from my 124 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:32,800 Speaker 1: chest personally. And you can also use all those different 125 00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 1: wearables and take those numbers and you don't even have 126 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:36,240 Speaker 1: to do it. I mean you just look at your 127 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:39,080 Speaker 1: phone or whatever way you're looking at that data and 128 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:42,280 Speaker 1: you can get the number there, all right, So that 129 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:46,440 Speaker 1: is a great metric to start to track, not only 130 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:50,320 Speaker 1: for your fitness level. But one final thing. If you 131 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:53,200 Speaker 1: track your resting heart rate and you know what your 132 00:07:53,240 --> 00:07:56,880 Speaker 1: average is over time, you're gonna wake up one morning 133 00:07:56,920 --> 00:07:59,120 Speaker 1: and it's going to be elevated, and that can be 134 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:02,600 Speaker 1: a sign that you're getting sick, okay before you even 135 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 1: feel the symptoms necessarily, so many athletes, professional athletes will 136 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:11,600 Speaker 1: use resting heart rate to tell them when they need 137 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:13,680 Speaker 1: to pull back in their training a little bit. So 138 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:16,680 Speaker 1: if your normal resting heart rate is sixty and you 139 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 1: may wake up one morning and it's seventy, you may say, 140 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:24,000 Speaker 1: I need to pull back on my training. And especially 141 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:26,640 Speaker 1: if you are working out really hard, you're someone who 142 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:29,360 Speaker 1: you know is pushing themselves, and you notice that that 143 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:34,000 Speaker 1: resting heart rate is elevated, it's a great way to say, Okay, 144 00:08:34,120 --> 00:08:36,280 Speaker 1: I need to pull back a little bit. So there 145 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:39,480 Speaker 1: you have it. Resting heart rate another really fun thing 146 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:43,440 Speaker 1: to throw into your mix of ways to track your 147 00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:50,680 Speaker 1: fitness level. And it's controllable, it's changeable through lifestyle choices, smoking, 148 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:55,839 Speaker 1: getting a little leaner and through exercise, and it's your 149 00:08:55,920 --> 00:09:00,160 Speaker 1: heart the most important muscle evolve. I would rather you 150 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:05,360 Speaker 1: focus on resting heart rate. Then wait at the start 151 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:09,079 Speaker 1: the weight will come, but exercise, let that resting heart 152 00:09:09,160 --> 00:09:12,200 Speaker 1: rate come down and most likely that weight is going 153 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:15,000 Speaker 1: to come down as well. All right, but let's not 154 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:19,400 Speaker 1: lose sight of what's happening inside our bodies rather than 155 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:21,600 Speaker 1: just what's in the mirror or a number we see 156 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:24,199 Speaker 1: on the scale. And there you have it. Resting heart 157 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:30,240 Speaker 1: rate another fun thing to track. Please rate the show 158 00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:33,000 Speaker 1: if you have not yet already subscribe as well. If 159 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:34,840 Speaker 1: you have not, you want to reach out. Tom h 160 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 1: Fit is Instagram and Twitter tom h Fit. You go 161 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:41,839 Speaker 1: to Fitness Disrupted dot com ask me questions comments there. 162 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:43,680 Speaker 1: If you can comment where you're listening to the show, 163 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:47,080 Speaker 1: that is always greatly appreciated as well. And again, I 164 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:50,920 Speaker 1: have one goal to help you live your best life, 165 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:53,480 Speaker 1: to help you get the greatest results in the shortest 166 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:55,959 Speaker 1: amount of time with the least likelihood of injury. I 167 00:09:56,040 --> 00:09:59,280 Speaker 1: love my job and I take it really seriously and 168 00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:02,440 Speaker 1: I don't want you to follow any bad information when 169 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:06,360 Speaker 1: it comes to your health. It's too important, all right. 170 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:10,640 Speaker 1: Remember there are three things we can control, how much 171 00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:13,319 Speaker 1: we move, what we put into our mouths, and our attitudes. 172 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:18,800 Speaker 1: And that is awesome. I am Tom Holland. This is 173 00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:27,520 Speaker 1: Fitness Disrupted. Believe in yourself. Fitness Disrupted is a production 174 00:10:27,559 --> 00:10:31,120 Speaker 1: of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, 175 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:34,920 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 176 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:36,520 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.