STRONG HEART, STRONG BODY

Resting heart rate is the marker of a strong, healthy ticker. Roxi Jahanshahi turned to the Fitbit Versa to lower hers with a heart-happy training plan

Bench pressing a loaded barbell like it was a pillow, Roxi Jahanshahi, 30, is definite #fitspo. But her path to fitness enlightenment hasn’t been an easy one. The programmes manager and social campaigner lost her dad to cancer in 2017, leading to anxiety, depression and 3st weight gain. With poor heart health running in the family, Roxi took action. ‘I’ve lost some weight and I’m feeling much better, so now I want to improve my cardio fitness and make my heart as strong as it can be,’ she says. Cue the Fitbit Versa challenge.

Working with UN1T trainer Josh Cooper, Roxi completed a four-week programme designed to reduce her resting heart rate (RHR) and boost her cardio fitness, using the Versa to track it.

There are two metrics that are key to measuring improvements in heart health and your Fitbit Versa tracks them. Your cardio fitness score (an estimation of your VO2 Max) and your RHR.

Cardio fitness score is an estimation of your Vo2max, the gold-standard for grading cardiovascular fitness. It is a measure of how well your body uses oxygen when you’re working out at your hardest, and is calculated based on age, gender, weight, and resting heart rate.

‘RHR is the number of times your heart beats per minute at rest,’ explains Cooper. ‘A normal RHR is around 60-100 beats per minute, and benefits of a lower RHR include reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and a strong heart.’

The key to lowering your RHR is finding the balance between working your heart harder through exercise, while getting enough rest and recovery and minimising stress. Mixing strength training with cardio is important. ‘Improving cardiovascular fitness is the best way to lower your

RHR,’ says Cooper.

Roxi’s starting RHR of 63 was already good thanks to her training, but now it’s even better – 55 after the programme. ‘I feel a lot fitter. I have more energy than before,’ she says, ‘My sleep has vastly improved, too – I’m averaging around seven hours a night.’ Here’s what Roxi learned and why we should all start tracking our resting heart rates today…