Heart RAte
You might be on the quest to become a faster runner and more conditioned athlete after birth and might be asking,
“How do I know if I am doing too much?
Despite the popularity of “Go hard or go home” mentality seen in many gyms, gradual progressions over time are key for making gains and the goal of training is to challenge your body so that you can:
Get stronger
Build speed
Improve sports perofrnance
What is often overlooked is recovery- this is all the time spent outside of training when the body repairs from the training and the benefits of training are integrated into your body’s physiology.
Optimizing recovery is paramount to reduce soreness and fatigue from training so that you can keep making progress and to avoid overtraining and other metabolic consequences that occur when training exceeds appropriate recovery such as Relative Energy Deficiency -Syndrome (RED-S) .
Monitoring resting heart rate is a simple option for tracking recovery.
What is heart rate? It is the number of times your heart beats in 1 minute
How to track your heart rate?
There are many ways to track heart rate and it is important to understand that heart rate (the number of beats per minute) is different than heart rate variability (which is the time between heartbeats).
The simplest way to track your resting heart rate to understand your recovery is this:
You can test for the first time in the morning 3-4 days in a row, using a wearable device that can record for you before you get out of bed.
BENEFITS of tracking your heart rate:
Monitor heart rate allows you to know NOT too push hard so you can get the most out of basic training
Determine pace for the most effective training during running
Understand if you are recovering well from your workouts
Tracking your heart rate is a great way to learn more about your body and how you are not only tolerating your workouts, but recovering.
Overtraining happens when there is too much activity for the body's ability to repair.
Heart rates signs you aren’t recovered
Heart is slow to get to baseline resting after an exertion
Abnormally high or low resting heart rate
Heart rate is not reaching peak levels when you are giving out harder level of efforts
Other Signs of overtraining:
Hormonal changes (like menstrual cylce irregularies)
You can’t fall asleep or your sleep is interrupted
Experiencing Increased levels of fatigue
Reductions in performance
Increase soreness or injury
Pelvic floor problems: like leakage or urinary urgency
Change in mood (more irritable or angry)
Lower tolerance for stress
Ways to improve resting heart rate in addition pacing yourself so you are not over training lie in maximizing your recovery strategies:
Paced Breathing Practice to active the parasympathetic nervous ( the part of the nervous systems that activates calms)
Meditation
Getting Adequate sleep
Managing Stress
Adequate Nutrition
And more!
At Radiance PT, Dr.Mbong Henry is proud to offer integrative and hybrid pelvic floor therapy and womens healthing program to support active women to the highest level of recovery.
If you are looking for a supportive space to optimize your recovery, book your strategy call here.
References
Rowan SP et al. Monitoring one heart to help two: heart rate variability and resting heart rate using wearable technology in active women across the perinatal period. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2022 Nov 30;22(1):887. doi: 10.1186/s12884-022-05183-z. PMID: 36451120; PMCID: PMC9710029.
Plews D et al. Heart rate variability in elite triathletes, is variation in variability the key to effective training? A case comparison February 2012 European Journal of Applied Physiology 112(11):3729-41; DOI: 10.1007/s00421-012-2354-4