Skipped Heartbeats after Exercise

[Melonpony]

I am very nervous about this, and am hoping someone can offer advice or reassurance.

I am a 43 yo female, 136 lbs, 5'5". I am a normal BMI, my cholesterol bloodwork is excellent, thyroid functioning well, and had a normal EKG a couple of weeks ago.

My issue is that I get heart palpitations for hours after I exercise. I have recently started to exercise (HIIT boot camp) after roughly 8 years of being sedentary (before that, I did yoga and went to the gym daily. I was 10 pounds lighter...that was all before I had kiddos).

I stopped exercising for 3 weeks out of fear, and didnt get any palps at that time.

I've never gotten palps that I've noticed before. These can range from fish flipping in chest intense to a mild pause in heart beat.

My dr is not concerned after a physical and the EKG. But should I request further tests like a stress test or a 24 hour halter?

If its benign, will the palps stop once I am in better shape? If I know it's normal due to being out of shape and that they will stop once I'm back in shape, I will feel much better. Thank you all for reading.

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[ankietyjoe]

8 years of being sedentary and going into a HIIT bootcamp is probably a bad idea. It's not that it's dangerous, but you need to ease into things. HIIT is incredibly intensive, which is why it's called high intensity interval training, and is pushing you to the max over and over again.

If I were you I'd start off doing low intensity workouts for at least 2-3 months first. This would be a combination of light resistance work and brisk walking. That is more than enough to get you back into shape. HIIT can come later.

Skipped beats wouldn't be unusual doing what you're doing after not exercising for so long, and skipped beats aren't medically dangerous unless they're being caused by disease, which in your case they're not. Trust the Doctor and the EKG.

[Melonpony]

Thank you, AJoe. You offer extremely grounding insight. I think it would be wise to ease in to getting back into shape rather than the HIIT. Yoga and walking for a couple of months, and then try the HIIT again...
I appreciate your reply a lot!

[ankietyjoe]

For the record I started exercising again about 6 months ago, this was after doing literally nothing for about 5 years (all stress/anxiety based).

I remember having skipped beats at first too. My Doctor suggested that my heart just needed to remember what it was supposed to be doing again after being a couch potato for so long.

Now I can work out for an hour or so pretty intensely, most heavy weight with my heart rate regularly dipping above 140-150bpm, and more recently I started doing basic HIIT workouts at home. No skipped beats at all any more.

Just keep at it but less intensively for a few months and I'm sure they'll disappear. They're not dangerous even if they do. My Doctor said that in the absence of heart disease (and remember, you've been checked) that palpitations are 'medically insignificant'. In other words, they don't worry about them.

[Melonpony]

Wow, so you had a very similar experience! I'm sorry you had to go through it also, but your insight helps calm me down a bit.
I sent my DR an email today, just to reconfirm that I should not worry (LOL), and she said that she does not think it's a concern at this time, and that I should give it time to clear up, but will certainly refer me to a cardiologist if they don't clear up.

She didn't give me a set amount of time to give them, but I figure 3 months would be a reasonable amount of time. What do you think? I'll do what you did (incorporate less intense exercises to ease back into fitness), and then revisit the HIIT.

[ankietyjoe]

I would imagine 2-3 months of regular exercise that's slowly increased in intensity would be enough.

Even going for a daily brisk walk for 20-30 minutes and getting your heart rate over 100bpm is more than enough to significantly improve your health.

[Melonpony]

Thank you, Ajoe. I'll do that. I am also afraid to get my heart rate up because I get chest tightness...this is all after heart anxiety took over my life about 3 years ago, and I ceased any activity that made my heart pump harder than normal. I was even afraid to walk to the mailbox to get the mail.
I had chest pains (muscular) and spent about a year going to the dr every month getting checked out. She never did more than an EKG and a chest xray, and recommend anxiety medication.
So slow exercise for a few months should also work on my heart anxiety in general, I hope. Thank you for your insight and kindness.

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[ankietyjoe]

I was the same as you, I just refused to walk outside my already known routes. I would walk to and from the car, I would walk around the one supermarket I felt happy to go to, that's pretty much it.

I ended up just getting fed up with it, and then one day my son asked me to play in the park and then I realised I'd said no for 2-3 years of his life. That was it.

So, just push past the uncomfortable feeling. When I first started exercising again I really had to push past that point where I wanted to stop. Just keep pushing your heart rate into a zone that you're uncomfortable with and it WILL adapt over time. HIIT, is just too much too soon!

[Melonpony]

Wow very similar story, Ajoe!
My kids ask me to play with them, and I have been saying no for the past 2-3 years (unless of course it was playing card games, throwing a ball, or something where I could just stand or sit).
This past winter, I was dancing with them in the kitchen (they are 5 and 6 yr old), and my heart was racing, chest tightness, and feeling out of breath sent my anxiety over the edge. I've wanted to get back in shape ever since, and didn't do anything about it until this past July, when I picked up the HIIT gym groupon.

Your experience and advice really helps me. I am having palpitations now, all day, after doing HIIT yesterday. It's so uncomfortable. I am definitely going to stop that program and focus on brisk walking and yoga. I hope 2-3 months of that will make it possible for me to do more.

[ankietyjoe]

I also forgot to mention that I started paying very close attention to my diet. I'm not suggesting you absolutely have a bad diet, but I know when I became sedentary and anxious I didn't really pay that much attention to it. It's not so much about what you do eat, but more about what you omit. So now I make sure I eat 10 or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day, preferably organic.

I discovered that when you have anxiety and you are stressed, that your body chews through nutrients very quickly. Recommended daily levels really aren't appropriate and we are designed to eat far more veg than we actually do most of the time.

This is an indirect link to how your heart is functioning, but my kids are off school right now and I've noticed that because we are often out eating fast food that I just feel sluggish and reluctant to do anything the more I eat. To combat this I purchased a blender and have started having green shakes, which really helps.

If you are exercising more, that puts a stress on your body...albeit a stress with an overall net gain! You need to make sure you have enough nutrients in your system to recover. It's also slightly possible that the HIIT sessions are leaving you low on electrolytes and there is a significant and direct connection between that and heart function. Perhaps taking a dilute solution of electrolyte powder would help alleviate some of the symptoms you are experiencing too.