How Do You Know If You Have A Healthy Heart Rate?

Heart rate is referred to as the number of heart beats, usually expressed in beats per minute. The normal heart rate of a resting adult is 60-100 beats per minute (bpm), as stated by most books and publications. That being said, it is reasonable to believe that if a person’s heart rate falls within the range of 60-100 bpm, that person has a healthy heart rate and should cause him no alarm. But what if you’re an athlete and you have a heart rate of 50 beats per minute? Will you still see it as a perfectly healthy heart rate? There are certain situations or conditions that influence a person’s heart beat, such as age, exercise and fitness level.

A heart rate of 120-180 bpm, for example, is regarded as a healthy heart rate in babies. However, for a 5-year old kid, 80-120 bpm is what is considered a healthy heart rate. For older people, the heart rate can go as low as 50 bpm because of the inevitable changes in the heart muscles as it grows older. You may have observed that 60-100 bpm may not absolutely mean a healthy heart rate for an entirely different age group.

During physical exercise, the heart pumps way a lot faster. Any kind of physical exertion will call for the body muscles to move. The muscles would need more oxygen as a consequence of the increased movement. This greater need for oxygen makes the heart work at a much faster pace so that it can provide the muscles of the body with enough oxygen-rich blood. During exercise, a heart rate of 120 bpm therefore can be regarded as a healthy heart rate.

If you exercise regularly, the heart becomes strong, strong enough to supply the entire body with sufficient amount of blood with fewer beats per minute. The improved strength makes each heart beat capable of sustaining extreme exercise even at a slower pace. This is why a low heart rate of 40 to 70 bpm is still regarded as a healthy heart rate for well-trained athletes.

So do you think you have a healthy heart rate? Any heart rate that falls below or above 60-100 bpm can be regarded as a healthy heart rate provided that the body is getting the adequate amount of blood that it requires.