Glad it’s doing better, MOWC. I’ve learned that our bodies are weird but are generally pretty good at repairing themselves when we do something wrong 
My Fitbit was way off today on my usual hill route. I carried a large unbrella to protect me from the downpour, so maybe that’s why it registered fewer steps than usual! Gotta do some of that late night cinderelling!
“BB, it is entirely possible that the stress is causing the heart issues. My PCP wants me to keep a food, medicine, and movement/exercise diary for a week to see if there is any correlation between that and when my heart acts up.”
@romanigypsyeyes, while it is possible that it is stress, I think your PCP has a really good idea. I had some weird palpitations going on, and they seemed to be connected to caffeine. They came back last October, and I got rid of all supplements, birth control pills, bioidentical hormones, and they went away. I added them back gradually, and found out one of the hormones was an issue. I don’t know if it was THE issue, but all that stuff complicated things. 48 hour EKG, ECG, blood tests, said there was nothing wrong with my heart. I know birth control pills can be a definite cause of heart palpitations. I just thank God I didn’t have to give up wine and coffee (gave that up for weeks, really sucked!), but I know they want to just clear the slate and figure things out.
I don’t know if I’d survive without my caffeine lol…
If there’s no correlation, I think we’ll probably start taking things out (depending on whether or not they start up again after my next infusion treatment). Can’t take out birth control but the rest of the things I can. (Literally, I can’t take it out…) Luckily, they seem to have mostly gone away as the pain has decreased. I’m only getting them a few times a day now.
She mentioned something that it might be but for the life of me, I don’t remember what it was. It was a really, really long name abbreviated to three letters which basically means “yup, your heart sometimes freaks out” but is pretty harmless.
ETA: Figured it out… SVT (Supraventricular Tachycardia)
Incredible how well MOWC’s son did! To be in such great shape, that’s amazing!!
I was supposed to do the Big Climb yesterday (69 sets of stairs, 1311 steps). I felt good when I signed up in October for it, was sick for months, didn’t train, so I wimped out and had a croissant and coffee instead. 
However, my husband did it, got in the top 1% overall (of over 2300 racers), and did it in about 9 and a half minutes. He was so excited, he didn’t go to sleep until 3am! Sure would be wonderful to have such a level of fitness.
I guess my step towards fitness is buying a Garmin Forerunner 25 watch. It was difficult to find something that didn’t dwarf my wrist, but this looks like it might work okay.
I know how hard it is to give up caffeine. When I realized that was the problem, it just about killed me! However, I was able to drink half decaf, and that actually tastes pretty good. I did a lot of experimenting, and found out how much I could take. I used to be able to drink coffee all day, now it’s only in the morning, about 1 1/2 cups, and the rest decaf. It’s not worth the effect, and decaf is pretty satisfying. If you haven’t lowered your caffeine level, you might really consider it, because it’s often a serious trigger.
“It was a complete waste of my time, but I sucked it up since (1) I was the lawyer for HR and (2) I wanted the people who really needed some help to get it. We also logged our exercise and had company “walks” (I feared someone getting run over by a car as we strolled across streets downtown talking and not paying attention) and lectures. We got incentives, too. Unfortunately, corporate fitness programs don’t have the success one would expect (and hope for). I think the FitBit approach might be better.”
In my previous job, we did some consulting for one of the companies that offers corporate fitness / wellness programs. They are started with the best of intentions, but they often wind up “rewarding” the already fit people (great, now I have a gym at work, I’ll be even better about working out!) and the people who need the help the most, such as the really obese, are too embarrassed / ashamed to get in shorts / exercise near coworkers. This was pre Fitbit trackers though.
Pizzagirl - your experience with the corporate wellness programs is pretty much exactly what I see happening here. We really have a good program with lots of good financial incentives and some coaches who are engaged with the employees and very helpful. They bring in good information and good programs but the people who are participating are those who are already fit and healthy - always looking for new information. A lot of the people who really need the help don’t participate for a variety of reasons or they participate just to get the financial incentives but don’t actually follow any of the suggestions. That said, though, my H is ridiculously competitive over really stupid stuff and one of the challenges a couple years ago really got him into the right mindset and he is now very fit and healthy. So I think there are successes here and there but it would be great to find a way to get the help to the people who need it the most.
I got a 5.25 mile run in last night. It was an easy pace (not really slow, but not fast either) and the run felt good. Planning on another run tonight.
MOWC - I think I have the same thing you have with the thumb. My doc told me to get one of those wrist supports that wrap around the thumb and hand. I have to wear it every 6 months or so for a day or two. Seems to help. Sometimes I’ll just get this flashing pain in my thumb joint where I can’t even move my thumb. I’ll have to grab it with my other hand to move it back into place?
Pilates mat yesterday afternoon which was great - we have a consistent group that attends so the exercises are getting progressively more challenging. Went to the gym this morning for a quick elliptical workout and have TRX this afternoon. I’m feeling a little more motivated than I was earlier this year.
That’s interesting, Ohio. I wonder if it is from some of our exercises? Mine is feeling pretty good still here at work, so I think I will put off the ortho appointment.
“to give up caffeine” - I discovered many years ago by myself without a doc’s help that I can have only 3 caps of regular / week and unlimited amount of decaf. So, I stick to that and I never had my heart episode any more. The unfortunate part is when we go to Costa Rica where coffee is unbelievable, I still have to stick to 3 cups / week because I am simply afraid. I did not have to give it up completely though. There is a huge difference in energy on my decaf days, it is unbelievable that coffee has such a positive effect. For all my “weird aches and pains” I stick to swimming, it takes care of very severe pains for me. So far, so good, but nobody is getting younger, so the pains may come back and I may need to give up my regular coffee entirely. But I will worry about it in due time, not now.
Bus, congrats to your husband! I will have to look into doing the Climb next year. With my recently achieved Hot Air Balloon badge (2000 Fitbit floors climbed - lol!), it looks like I am doing a lot of training for an event like that. 
My tortie really needed me to carry her around last night… She is like a baby because she likes to be carried. I had zero excuses to not make my 10,000 steps!
Happy spring to all! Yesterday I didn’t go to the gym – the usual challenges of urban parking/giving up a parking space in a snowstorm. Of course once the sun came out in the afternoon, things started melting like crazy. I took our pup for a very long walk – she was dragging by the time we got home. And then a little cinderella activity before bedtime to eke out my step goal. This morning I was back on the Arc (45 min) and Treadmill (2.25 miles, walking). My foot feels much better, although not quite 100%. I think I’ll try running tomorrow and see how it goes.
Such senseless tragedy in Brussels …
Did an OrangeTheory and a Pilates reformer. Only one other person showed up so it was semi private! However, I have stepped into the belly of the beast as all of the discussion was about chemical peels, Botox, juvederm, microdermasion, etc. NTTAWWT but not where I’m at in terms of face maintenance - I’m still at the retin-a and stay out of the sun mode!
Pizzagirl, I had to google NTTAWWT. You’re expanding my vocabulary exponentially!
Ran about 1.6 miles on treadmill this AM, took the steps (11 floors) up to the office. I plan on walking for 1/2 hour at lunch break and walking after dinner. I’m planning on lots of steps today!
“Bus, congrats to your husband! I will have to look into doing the Climb next year. With my recently achieved Hot Air Balloon badge (2000 Fitbit floors climbed - lol!), it looks like I am doing a lot of training for an event like that.”
Bunsen, you should definitely sign up for it, and do it ASAP the minute registration opens, because it fills up fast. You would do spectacularly, I think. It’s interesting, in competitive stair climbing, while younger people have an advantage, it’s not as significant as in most sports. It’s amazing the number of people in their forties and fifties who end up near the top.
Just got off the phone with Fitbit because I am TIRED of my Charge HR having sync issues every week or so! We got it going again, but one thing he told me is to try not to let the charge get below 15% and to also try not to charge the battery more than 2 hours at a time. Raise your hand if you are like me and charge yours overnight?! If I charge 2 hours during the day that will need to be really planned or I’ll be missing out on steps!!!
Kinda frustrating!
I’ll raise my hand - but I’ve started to charge it for shorter periods of time, such as when I’m relaxing after dinner and don’t care about monitoring steps.