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Is a pulse of 191 dangerous for a female 54 years old 160lbs whie exercising

I just starting exercising. Im wondering if its dangerous for my health if my pulse goes to 191 .
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973741 tn?1342342773
I am so glad you found us!  I walk too.  And I was doing REALLY well and then fell off the wagon.  I have kids and their school was winding down and I was sick for two weeks (STILL getting over it, it's been a beast).  Anyway, those are my excuses!  It's hard to carve out the time.  One thing that helps me keep walking is I listen to books on audiotape.  I get them on my phone.  I pick really good books, lol, so I WANT to go walk and listen to it.  I used to have a walking buddy but she started a new job and our schedules didn't match, so I had to entertain myself some way.

I'd watch your heart rate.  I do think that is really high. Do you have a fitness watch that monitors it?  I think that would be worth the investment.  I have one and you hit a button and it tells you your heart rate and some will light up if yours goes too high. Then you back down.   You're tall, so your BMI is not what I thought which is good.  


I was trying intervals before.  Walk at a brisk pace and then go really fast, short of running for 1.5 minutes and then brisk for 5 and then the faster pace for 1.5 minutes.  You can try that if it doesn't cause tachycardia for you.

I do think a physical is essential for us all.  Blood pressure check and lab work.  By the way, what is your resting pulse? And the other area that they look at with pulse is how fast you recover.  It gets high and how quickly does it come back down. The faster, the better in shape you are.


How many times do you walk a week?  I need a motivating partner.  ha, and then I want to add in some other things.  Light weight lifting is very good for you and helps keep metabolism going longer than a strict cardio regimen.  But again, a physical would be great to discuss with your doctor as weight lifting does increase blood pressure a bit immediately following.  


Congrats on quitting smoking!  That in itself is a huge thing but sorry about the weight gain.  I never smoked but I guess found comfort in food.  And working nights is notorious for throwing things off.  So, also glad you switched back to days.  


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I still work nights! Lol. I walk every night after work . My walking buddy is my dog Simba. He needs exercise too so i figure kill 2 birds with one stone. I have a stationary bike that i just got this week, a tread mill a stepper and a neighbor gave me a bow flex. Though i havent recieved it yet.  I just ordered a watch that monitors heart , steps ,time, kilometers , swimming strokes. And a few more things that i forgot.  I walk quite fast but when i start feeling a little out of breath, i do slow down. I also have been drink water with a squeeze of lemon in it. Ive cut out junk food completely. And im trying to eat more fruits and veggies. Energy wise i feel much less tired.
Thanks so much for your help. I appreciate it.
973741 tn?1342342773
Hi there!  Welcome.  We can be exercise friends!  :<)))  The thing is, for heart health, you have to start out.   However, your max heart rate during exercise of 191 is too high. What activity are you doing that results in this high heart rate?  Can you lesson it?  At your weight, age and what appears to be level of fitness, walking where you can increase and decrease the speed and duration might be a good fit.  Tell us what your exercise has been lately?  I am also a moderate exerciser concerned with heart health.  So, I wasn't kidding about being exercise friends.  Have you had a physical lately?  Any other heart concerns?  High cholesterol, blood pressure, ext?  Your BMI may be high but I don't know your height.  I'm hoping to decrease my bmi myself.  Anyway, give some more details!
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Im 5 ft 8inches tall. I started walking about 3 weeks ago. I work night shift for the last 15 years and was always too tired or to lazy to exercise. I eas a smoker but quit cold turkey 3.5 years ago. And havent looked back. I was very tgin all my life, but since i quit smoking ive gained  50 lbs. I dont feel good in my skin. So i decided to get fit.
I usually walk for an hour a day after im done work  . Im really out of shape. But since ive been walking  i have more energy. I just bought a stationary  bike and used it for 10 minutes. Thats when my pulse went to 191. I didnt realize at the time it was on the most difficult setting.but i completed the setting.
That's nothing to be concerned about health-wise unless it happens every time you try cardio.  Also, if you're going by the gauges on the bike, they're almost never anywhere near being exact, so take it as a range.  A better gauge is out of breath you were, how did you feel, did you feel physically like you were about to expire?  I don't mean literally, but you know, when you hit a wall.  As Mom said, when you haven't been exercising, you have to start out slowly and move up slowly or you'll not only get exhausted, you'll also get hurt, which really sets you back.  If you're going to move up from walking to true cardio like a bike, warm up before you get to the speed and resistance you feel you can handle comfortably but still get a workout.  You don't want it to be too easy, and not too hard, and just starting out, too easy is better than too hard.  But as for the weight gain, that much suggests you have a lot of work to do on your diet -- you really can't exercise your way out of a diet that is putting that much weight on you.  You have to work on both diet and exercise.  Take it slow, do things you like to do for your exercise so it's fun, and try different things to see what's fun.  
I also forgot to say that i broke my foot last year and had it in a cast for 3 months. So i spent alot of time on the couch. That is when a got a bit flabby for lack of a better word.  Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my concerns. I appreciate all your comments and i will achieve my goal . I know it wont happen over night but it will happen!

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Arlington, VA
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