Taking Care of Your Heart

The heart is the most important muscle in your body The heart is the most important muscle in your body. It has a lot of work to do and it never gets a rest. For these reasons it is SO important that you take very good care of your heart. It has to last you a long time.

The next slides are from the American Heart Association and from Top End Sports.

Why should you know about your heart rate? Even if you’re not an athlete, knowledge about your heart rate can help you monitor your fitness level — and it might even help you spot developing health problems. Your heart rate, or pulse, is the number of times your heart beats per minute. Normal heart rate varies from person to person.

Knowing yours can be an important heart-health gauge “As you age, changes in the rate and regularity of your pulse can change and may signify a heart condition or other condition that needs to be addressed,” said Richard Stein, M.D., professor of medicine and cardiology at the New York University School of Medicine in New York City and a volunteer for the American Heart Association.

what is a normal heart rate? Where is your pulse and what is a normal heart rate? The best places to find your pulse are the: wrists inside of your elbow side of your neck top of the foot To get the most accurate reading, put your finger – never use your thumb - over your pulse and count the number of beats in 60 seconds, Stein said. Your resting heart rate is the heart pumping the lowest amount of blood you need because you’re not exercising. If you’re sitting or lying and you’re calm, relaxed and aren’t ill, your heart rate is normally between 60 (beats per minute) and 100 (beats per minute), Stein said.

A normal resting heart rate can range anywhere from 60 beats per minute up to 100 beats per minute. Most people have a resting heart rate between 60-90 beats per minute. The average resting heart rate for a man is 70 beats per minute, and for a woman 75 beats per minute.

A lower heart rate is also common for people who get a lot of physical activity or are very athletic, Stein said. Active people often have lower heart rates because their heart muscle is in better condition and doesn’t need to work as hard to maintain a steady beat. “Moderate physical activity doesn’t usually change the resting pulse much,” Stein said. “If you’re very fit, it can be lowered to 40. A less active person might have a heart rate between 60 and 100,” he added. That’s because the heart muscle has to work harder to maintain bodily functions, making it higher.

As you get fitter, your resting heart rate should decrease As you get fitter, your resting heart rate should decrease. This is due to the heart getting more efficient at pumping blood around the body, so at rest more blood can be pumped around with each beat, therefore less beats per minute are needed. See this resting heart rate chart which shows the expected heart rate for different ages and levels of fitness.

Resting Heart Rate for MEN Age 18-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56-65 65+ Athlete 49-55 49-54 50-56 50-57 51-56 50-55 Excellent 56-61 55-61 57-62 58-63 57-61 Good 62-65 63-66 64-67 62-67 Above Average 66-69 66-70 67-70 68-71 Average 70-73 71-74 71-75 72-76 72-75 Below Average 74-81 75-81 76-82 77-83 76-81 74-79 Poor 82+ 83+ 84+ 80+

Resting Heart Rate for WOMEN Age 18-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56-65 65+ Athlete 54-60 54-59 Excellent 61-65 60-64 Good 66-69 65-68 65-69 Above Average 70-73 69-72 69-73 Average 74-78 73-76 74-77 Below Average 79-84 77-82 78-83 77-84 Poor 85+ 83+ 84+

Being physically active is important to prevent heart disease and stroke, the nation’s  No. 1 and No. 5 killers. To improve overall cardiovascular health, we suggest at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise (or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity). Thirty minutes a day, five times a week is an easy goal to remember. You will also experience benefits even if you divide your time into two or three segments of 10 to 15 minutes per day. For people who would benefit from lowering their blood pressure or cholesterol, we recommend 40 minutes of aerobic exercise of moderate to vigorous intensity three to four times a week to lower the risk for a heart attack and stroke.

Physical activity is anything that makes you move your body and burn calories. This includes things like climbing stairs or playing sports. Aerobic exercises benefit your heart, and include walking, jogging, swimming or biking. Strength and stretching exercises are best for overall stamina and flexibility. The simplest, positive change you can make to effectively improve your heart health is to start walking. It's enjoyable, free, easy, social and great exercise. A walking program is flexible and boasts high success rates because people can stick with it. It's easy for walking to become a regular and satisfying part of life.

The American Heart Association recommends: For Overall Cardiovascular Health: At least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity at least 5 days per week for a total of 150 OR At least 25 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity at least 3 days per week for a total of 75 minutes; or a combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity AND Moderate- to high-intensity muscle-strengthening activity at least 2 days per week for additional health benefits. For Lowering Blood Pressure and Cholesterol An average 40 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic activity 3 or 4 times per week

Something is always better than nothing! And everyone has to start somewhere. Even if you've been sedentary for years, today is the day you can begin to make healthy changes in your life. If you don't think you'll make it for 30 or 40 minutes, set a reachable goal for today. You can work up toward your overall goal by increasing your time as you get stronger. Don't let all-or-nothing thinking rob you of doing what you can every day.

Your will love you for it!!!