[FaeReverie]

So the boyfriend and I were on the couch last night, with his head on my chest, and out of nowhere he says "You know, your heartbeat has slowed down a little."

See Fae confused. "Slowed down from what?"

"From before you started working out. Only a little though. Like before, your heartbeat was like as if you had been running for a minute or two. Just a little faster."

I'm confused and curious, both if he was correct in that, and why that would be. Anyone have any enlightenment?

[dollypie]

Fae,

Found this on the American Heart Assoc. web page

What is resting heart rate?
This is a person's heart rate at rest. The best time to find out your resting heart rate is in the morning, after a good night's sleep, and before you get out of bed.

The heart beats about 60 to 80 times a minute when we're at rest. Resting heart rate usually rises with age, and it's generally lower in physically fit people. Resting heart rate is used to determine one's training target heart rate. Athletes sometimes measure their resting heart rate as one way to find out if they're overtrained. The heart rate adapts to changes in the body's need for oxygen, such as during exercise or sleep


So hey a good thing that means you are in better shape than you were before!

[midwife]

An athlete's heart is stronger and more efficient at blood circulation, so his or her resting heart rate is slower.

I read somewhere that Lance Armstrong's resting heart rate is in the 30's, but that could be an urban legend.

[mandalinn82]

Hooray for a lower resting heart rate!

This is a GOOD thing - a sign of improving your level of physical fitness. Your heart has become more efficient, and your body has become a better user of oxygen. My RHR started out above 80, and its now in the high 50s...this is what you want.

Its an NSV and you didn't even know it.