Exercise

I joined a gym this week and the very conscientious owner of the gym asked me to wear a heart monitor while I’m getting back into shape. I used to exercise regularly, so I doubted I would need this device, but gave it a try this morning.

Pedaling an upright bike at  a cruising in the French countryside speed (the very applicable term given to me by the same gym owner) I was inching up to 117 bpm within a two minutes. There is no way I would ever have limited myself to such light effort in the past. It didn’t even feel like exercise, and yet, as soon as I held my pace at this level, the feeling of a vice grip on both sides of my head reappeared. So, 115 it is.  This brings me back once again to the life-lesson of pacing. I am learning to be a reasonable person.

Note: Check with your doctor first, but I have been told that I  shouldn’t be exceeding 70% of my max heart rate, so  I’m staying below 120 bpm. It’s all about the parasympathetic nervous system being out of whack post-concussion. You need to redevelop it by exercising regularly, but don’t push yourself, it hurts!