Well, I don't know if this is actually my *resting* heart rate, but I went to Wal-Mart today and saw the blood pressure machine so I thought I'd see what the damage was. I didn't think my reading was that bad according to the guide on the machine, but John seemed alarmed by my heart rate.

This is what mine said:

139/59 -- HR: 62

139 was in the pre-hypertension category by 9pts (was not that surprising, I was prepared for worse though), but 59 was well within the normal category.

I tried to do a little research and found that having a low resting heart rate is actually a good thing, but I just don't know if I am really all that healthy. I'm very overweight, and while my physical activity has improved greatly in the past 2 months, on a whole, I am not much of an athlete or an active person. I pretty much sit on my butt all day. As for exercise, I try to get some areobic/cardio in for 30 to 45 minutes 2 to 3 days a week, and some free weights/strength training exercises for 15 to 20 minutes 2 days a week. As for diet, I'm eating about 1500 (and lately, sometimes even 1600 though it's off my plan... BAD RAKEL) calories a day, and trying to eat more veggies and less proceed food and things full of sugar, etc. Key word: TRYING. I am still struggling with it so there is definitely some room for improvement.

Unfortunately I don't have anything to compare this too, but I think I will get my blood pressure taken once a week now just so I can keep tabs on it and see if it changes at all.

I'm pretty new to this and don't know much so I would appreciate your wisdom! Also, if there's a better place to post this question.

I think anywhere from 60-80 is fine. BP should be 120/80.

I'm not a doctor, but I don't think you have anything to worry about. If you are concerned, go see your doctor or go to a clinic and have them take your blood pressure and resting heart rate. Machines in stores aren't always the best.

Jay

Should be no more than 120/80.

"A blood pressure reading below 120/80 mmHg is considered normal. In general, lower is better." (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/...BP_WhatIs.html)

I should look into what those two numbers mean a little more, I think. Because the first one is BAD BAD BAD, but the second one seems really good. I am actually a little relieved about the reading though, because not too long ago I was reading about all of the different diseases and symptoms and it was starting to worry me, but I don't know. I may have some of the symptoms but they are all fairly mild. I didn't feel like I had something severely wrong with me aside from the fact that I am just heavy and need to lose weight. I have always been a very "healthy" child -- rarely EVER got sick, felt bad (after activity or in general)... just you know, heavy breathing I guess.

John's reading was like 135/80 with a HR of 91. Doesn't seem like he is that healthy either. I guess he is about 20lbs overweight, but he's relatively thin -- 6'0" tall around 185lbs though sometimes it varies a little.

Does John smoke? Just curious.

jay

I don't generally put a great deal of stock in supermarket BP machines so what I do is go to two different ones and see if they're pretty close. Like any other machine, they need to be calibrated and since it's a free service, I'm not sure it happens as often as it should.

The HR seems just fine to me. The only thing that struck me about your numbers was how the one is elevated and the other is remarkably low, especially for somebody who's overweight. Everything I've ever read seems to find that both are generally in the same ballpark; both a little high, both normal, both a little low, etc.

Certainly not trying to say there's anything wrong with you; just that I think I'd ask about it the next time I saw a doctor.

Jay -- nope, he doesn't smoke! But I talked to him about it and he said it may have something to do with the fact that we had just eaten. So apparently his mom has a blood pressure thingy and I'm going to try using that and see what I get. His mom seemed a little puzzled by her results too, so it could very well be the machine. I measured my pulse though and I was getting 62/63 bpm, so I think that was at least accurate.

The top number is systolic, and is the number when the heart is in systole (sis-TOE-lee). That means that the heart is pushing blood out and the arteries are filling, so there's pressure (that's what 'blood pressure' means! ) on the walls of the arteries. Then diastole (die-AS-toe-lee) is when the heart is filling up again, and the blood isn't being pushed out so there's just the pressure of the blood that's already there on the arterial walls (the arteries and veins are never completely empty). In general a higher systole (top number) is what you watch out for.



**I'm not a doctor, I'm a licensed physical therapy assistant. And this is a simplified version!

I think that you should go to the Dr. 139 is a little high. better to be safe than sorry.....

I think it really depends on your age as to whether 139 would be considered high. Blood pressure increases slightly over time anyway and for me at over 40, 139 would not be considered worrying to my doctor. If I was in my 20s (I wish!) it might be worth investigating.

However your resting heart rate is excellent I would say, its your other half's that seems a little on the high side.

Kitty

Not really.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/...BP_WhatIs.html

I would agree that supermarket BP machines aren't great but have you had a physical lately? I'd urge anyone to have a physical every year or every other year just to check out how well things are going and improving.

For me,
My blood pressure has been consistent since high school (at 300 lbs) to now, I am usually at 100/60 although sometimes my top number will dip into the 90s and sometimes my bottom number will dip into the 50s. The only time that wasn't true is when I started taking Meridia and my blood pressure shot up to 120/85 and the doctor was very concerned and took me off immediately. Oh well, it didn't work anyway.

I am a 110/70 girl. I have had people tell me it is low but my numbers are the optimal 40 apart so I don't worry.

Mind you my body temperature is also one degree C below what most think of as normal.

If you are concerned, or have questions then contact your Doctor. If you do not have one then check if they have a public health nurse number.

Actually, that isn't completely accurate. While you would be concerned at a high systolic pressure, high diastolic pressures are also concerning. The reason being, that is a CONSTANT pressure on the vessels. The higher the reading, the more pressure constantly on your arteries. Also, diastolic pressures are less subject to fluctuation so may be more telling reading to reading.

Blood pressure of LESS than 140/90 is considered to be normal.