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Part Five Other Aspects of Wellness
also encourages the formation of extra
branches in the arteries of the heart.
This increases blood fl ow and allows
the heart to work more effi ciently.
Measuring Your Heart
Rate
Your heart rate is an indication of
the effect physical activity is having on
your heart. Your heart rate, or pulse
rate, is the number of times your heart
beats per minute.
You can measure your heart rate
by fi nding your pulse and counting
the beats. When measuring your
heart rate, always use your index and
middle fi ngers, never your thumb.
Heart rate is usually measured in one
of two places: the wrist or the neck.
At your wrist, slide the fi ngers of one
hand along the thumb of your other
hand to your wrist. You should feel
your blood pulsating when you apply
gentle pressure. You should be able to
feel a similar pulsating in your neck.
Put your two fi ngers just to the left or
right of your Adam’s apple. Using the
second hand on a watch or clock, count
the beats for 15 seconds. Then multiply
the number of beats by four to fi nd the
number of beats per minute.
Another way to count your heart
rate is to count the number of beats
in six seconds. Then add a zero to the
number to fi gure the number of beats
per minute. In other words, 7 beats in
six seconds equals a heart rate of 70
beats per minute.
Your heart rate will vary
depending on your level of activity. The
harder you work out, the faster your
heart will beat.
A resting heart rate is the speed
at which your heart muscle contracts
when you are sitting quietly. An
average resting heart rate for a moder-
ately fi t teen or adult is about 70 beats
per minute. As mentioned above,
improved cardiorespiratory fi tness
results in a slower heartbeat. Someone
who has been training for several
months may have a resting heart rate of
about 60 beats per minute, 15-11.
Maximum heart rate is the highest
speed at which your heart muscle is
able to contract. Maximum heart rate is
related to age. It is higher for a younger
person than for an older person. You
15-11 As cardiorespiratory fitness improves,
resting heart rate will drop because the heart
is working more efficiently.
Measuring Resting Heart Rate
Heart Rate
(beats per minute)
Fitness Rating
59 Excellent
60–69 Good
70–79 Average
80–89 Fair
90 Poor