Improving your heart health can take time and effort, but the payoffs are immeasurable. One of the simplest places to start is with your heart rate, or pulse. A healthy heart rate can be a positive sign of how well your heart functions, along with a measurement of your exercise capability.
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Is Your Heart Rate Normal?
Everyone’s natural heart rate is slightly different. Your resting heart rate — the number of times your heart beats per minute when you are sitting still — can depend on your age, your overall health, whether you’re an athlete and other factors. In general, adults have a resting heart rate of 60 to 100 beats per minute. That goes for men and women. Some extremely active people may have slightly lower rates, even as low as 40 beats per minute. A healthy resting heart rate means your heart is working efficiently.
The best time to gauge your resting heart rate is to check your pulse first thing in the morning before you have had any caffeine or been active.
- Find your pulse on your wrist, just below your thumb, with your first two fingers.
- Press lightly and count the number of times your heart beats in 30 seconds.
- Double that number to find your resting heart rate.
You can also use a fitness tracker or smartwatch to monitor your heart rate throughout the day.
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Aiming for Your Target Heart Rate While Exercising
Being physically active is great for every aspect of your health, not just your heart. If you are exercising to boost your cardiovascular health, you want to work out hard enough that your heart reaches its target heart rate.
Your target heart rate changes as you age and is based on your fitness level. For moderate intensity workouts, aim for a heart rate between 64% and 76% of your maximum heart rate. For higher-intensity workouts, a target heart rate would be between 77% and 93% of the maximum. To get your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220.
If you are just starting to get back into exercise, you may want to aim for a lower target heart rate of 50% of the maximum. Over time, you will build up the strength and aerobic capacity to reach your ideal target heart rate.
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Take Simple Steps to Improve Your Heart Health
While exercise is the best way to lower your heart rate, taking other steps to make lifestyle changes will improve your overall heart health.
“The first step to improving heart health is scheduling a visit with your primary care provider,” says Dr. Stephen Fedec, FACC, FSCAI, FACOI, interventional cardiologist at Beaufort Memorial Heart Specialists in Beaufort and Okatie. “Determine if you have risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes or a family history of heart disease. If you have these risk factors, lifestyle changes can help reduce your risk.”
Steps you can take include:
- Change your diet. Piling your plate with fresh, whole foods helps lower your chances of developing two major heart disease risk factors — being overweight and having high blood pressure. The best daily diet for a healthy heart includes fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, lean sources of protein (beans, fish and poultry), whole grains, and healthy, unsaturated fats. Avoid sodium, sugar, and saturated and trans fats.
- Cut back on drinking. If you choose to drink alcohol, stick to no more than one drink a day for women and two for men. If you don’t drink, there’s no need to start. According to the American Heart Association, some research suggests red wine can improve heart health, but the research isn’t strong enough to support adopting the habit if you don’t already drink.
- Manage your stress. Stress can lead to behaviors that can damage your heart, such as eating unhealthy foods, drinking too much alcohol and not sleeping well. Find healthy ways to manage your stress, whether exercising, spending time with family and friends, or getting enough sleep every night.
- Quit smoking. Smoking damages your heart in numerous ways, including increasing your heart rate and blood pressure. Not only is quitting great for your heart, but it will also reduce your risk of many types of cancer.
- Talk to your primary care provider. Regular visits to monitor your blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol are important. Your provider can help you manage these risk factors before heart disease develops.
“We have many heart disease treatment options that weren’t available before,” Dr. Fedec says. “While it’s best to prevent heart disease, when that’s impossible, we can help reduce symptoms so people can return to life.”
Want to boost your heart health? Call 843-770-4550 to schedule an appointment with a member of our heart care team in Beaufort or Okatie.
