Matters of the Heart

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." 

Proverbs 4:23

I would say the heart is the most important organ we have. It pumps blood through our bodies which then spreads oxygen and nutrients to our muscles and other vital organs so they can function. By the rate of its pounding it can help us determine emotions like fear or excitement. Yet ultimately the heart it is what separates life from death.

Usually we take a verse like this one and get all metaphorical and symbolic with it. But for today I want to take this verse for face value and talk about guarding your actual heart, for it is the wellspring of your life. The rate your heart beats per minute can help you determine how healthy you are or are not. The lower your resting heart rate the better. Your heart is literally the spring that keeps you alive. So it is important to understand and take care of the heart.

Your heart rate or pulse is the number of times your heart beats per minute. The average heart rate is 60 - 100 beats per minute. Your resting heart rate is the number of times your heartbeats per minute while not exercising. Obviously the more we move around and get our bodies warmed up, the harder our heart has to work. So if you are not moving around a lot and have a high resting heart rate your heart is actually working harder than it has to.

To determine your resting heart rate record your pulse rate for one minute as soon as you wake up for three days in a row, taking the average of those three recordings. You can measure your heart rate by placing two fingers on either the inside of your wrist or the side of your neck. Or you can always use a heart rate monitor like a Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor (Purple/Pink).

If you feel like your resting heart rate is too high then there are ways to lower it. You can work on your resting heart rate by working on your recovery heart rate. A recovery heart rate is the measurement of how much the heart rate falls during the first minute after intense exercise. The quicker your heart rate recovers the better for you health.

To do this you must first determine your maximum heart rate. The formula is 220-age. This is the highest number you want to allow your heart rate to go up to during intense exercise.You will rarely  ever exercise at 100% of your Maximum Heart Rate, and having a heart rate monitor can help you monitor your heart rate while you exercise to make sure you stay within a healthy range.  

Find your Target Heart Rate using the chart below:

Age Target Heart Rate    Zone During Exercise (Heartbeats per minute)

• 20-29 years old: 120-160 beats/ minute
• 30-39 years old: 114-152 beats/ minute
• 40-49 years old: 108-144 beats/ minute
• 50-59 years old: 102-136 beats/ minute
• 60-69 years old: 96-128 beats/ minute
• 70-79 years old: 90-120 beats/ minute
• 80-89 years old: 84-112 beats/ minute
• 90-99 years old: 78-104 beats/ minute
• 100 years old or older: 72-96 beats/ minute

*Target heart rates are based on 60%-80% of estimated maximum heart rates (220 minus age).

So now we can figure out what your recovery heart rate is! Once you have completed your physical activity where you got your heart rate up to at least 50% of your maximum heart rate you will record two measurements.  1. Your heart rate as soon as you are done. 2. Your heart rate 2 minutes later. Now subtract your 2 minute measurement from your immediate measurement. The faster your heart rate recovers the healthier you are. 

If the difference between the two numbers is:

 

Or if the difference is:

• Less than 22:  Your biological age is slightly older than your calendar age.
• 22-52:  Your biological age is about the same as your calendar age.
• 53-58:  Your biological age is slightly younger than your calendar age.
• 59-65:  Your biological age is moderately younger than your calendar age.
• 66 or more:  Your biological age is a lot younger than your calendar age.

Here is an example: My resting heart rate: Day 1: 63   Day 2: 60  Day 3: 64 Average resting heart rate 62 beats per minute.

Maximum Heart Rate: 220-32 = 188. My maximum heart rate is 188 beats per minute.

My Target Heart Rate: is 114 - 152 beats per minute.

My Recovery Heart Rate: (after 1 minute of intense exercise) Immediately: (measured for 10 seconds) = 23 x 6 = 138
2 Minute measurement: (measured for 10 seconds) = 12 x 6 = 72

138-72 = 66 is the difference which according to both chats says I am very fit and my biological age is younger than my calendar age ;P

So the higher the difference between your first and second measurement the better. The quicker your heart is able to recover from intense exercise the healthier your heart is. There are different types of exercise methods that can help you improve your recovery heart rate. The key is to bring your  heart rate up into your target heart rate zone for a moment and then bring it down for a short time and do it again. Repeating for the entire workout.

You can work on your recovery rate by sprinting. Sprints are a great way to get to your target heart rate zone and then rest for 1 min seconds and sprint again. Then the next week you do sprints you shorten the rest time to 45 seconds. Then the third week you can lower it to 30 seconds. The starting and stopping is what will train your heart to recover faster and as you shorten the breaks it train your heart to recover faster. (always go at your own pace though! You should not feel sharp pains in your chest)

One of my favorite workouts is called a tabata workout: You work for 4 minutes at a time -  You exercise for 20 seconds, rest for 10  seconds and repeat for 8 rounds. It can be intense, but it is a great way to work that heart while also scorching calories!

Remember without the heart our spring will dry up. Take care of your heart, its the only one you got!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a blessed day!

Heather