I've posted a couple times about trying to recondition myself. I'm still concerned about how poorly conditioned I seem to be, compared to my friends that I talk to.
On an elliptical trainer, I can go for about 8 minutes at low speed. My pulse slowly goes up to about 135 by then, which seems very high. I also sometimes go for a 20 minute walk. I feel again like I am doing more work than I should have to. Today, my pulse was 135 after coming back from a walk at normal speed -- I felt sort of out of breath while walking, but I was also having something of a mild anxiety attack -- it's hard to know which came first.
Possible factors I wonder about:
1. Deconditioned heart and legs, which is normal
2. I am having some generalized anxiety and mild anxiety attacks
3. Actual loss of heart function, some kind of slowly progessing myopathy
What should my doctor and I do? Can a test rule out #3, and then perhaps I can just calm down and get to work?