Understanding the Functions of the Heart Pulse and Exercise Heart Rate Pulse Rate & The Heart Understanding the Functions of the Heart Pulse and Exercise Heart Rate

Taking the Pulse at the wrist This pulse site is on the radial artery at the wrist, in line with the thumb. Use the fingertips of your first two or three fingers to take your pulse. Keep your hand below your heart. Many people find a pulse in this location right where they wear their watchbands.

Taking the pulse at the neck This pulse site is on the carotid artery located just to the side of the larynx. Use light pressure from the fingertips of the first two fingers, not the thumb, to take your pulse. Never try to take your pulse on both sides at once.

Resting Heart Rate Calculating Your Heart Rate Find a stopwatch, watch or phone that displays time in seconds. Practice taking your resting pulse first. If you know how to find your pulse while sitting or lying quietly, it will be much easier to find during exercise. Use one of the following counts to calculate your heart’s beats per minute (bpm): Count your heart beats for six seconds. Multiply the number of heart beats by 10 to get your bpm. Count your heart beats for 10 seconds. Multiply the number of heart beats by 6 to get your bpm. Count your heart beats for 15 seconds. Multiply the number of heart beats by 4 to get your bpm.

The Heart Muscle The heart is the most important muscle in the body. It is an efficient, resilient pump that makes blood flow through the body over an entire lifetime. The heart muscle itself is made up of four chambers, two valves and two separate pumps. There are two sides to the heart, allowing it to function as a dual-action pump. The heart’s job is to contract and force blood into the chambers (through the valves) to send blood to the lungs for oxygen, receive oxygen-rich blood from the lungs (through the valves and chambers) and to pump the oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. The rhythm of a complete heartbeat is driven by electrical activities originating from the pacemaker, a bundle of specialized nerve tissue that receives messages. It independently creates its own electrical signals, beating away until there is a need to make a change in the heart rate, measured in beats per minute(bpm) If cells need more oxygen, the brain automatically speeds up the contraction rate of the heart, which in turn increases blood flow. Exercise induces a need for more oxygen to the muscles, thus increasing the heart rate to supply the cells in the muscles with oxygen. Improving your fitness level allows your heart to pump blood at a faster rate and provide oxygen to body parts more. The Heart Muscle