Your heart is a muscle with an important job pumping blood throughout your body.
With that being said, your heart rate actually provides insight into your overall cardiovascular health.
Most activity trackers and GPS watches now have heart rate sensors built-in.
This number is your resting heart rate.
So what does it tell you if that number’s on the high side?
A weaker heart works harder to do its job, leading to a higher resting heart rate.
Regular physical activity will reduce your risk of heart disease and increase your heart’s efficiency.
TheAmerican Heart Associationrecommends adults exercise 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
When you’re stressed, your body is working extra hard to prepare for a fight-or-flight situation.
This increases your heart rate and makes your heart work harder than it normally needs to.
According to theCDC, the negative effects of stress can be linked to cardiovascular disease.
At around 5 months pregnant, I upgraded to a FitBit that monitors my heart rate.
(Non-pregnant, my resting heart rate is in the mid-50s.)
What was even more interesting was how quickly my resting heart rate dropped post-partum.
In a matter of four weeks, it went from the high 70s to the high 50s.
This goes to show you just how hard the body works during pregnancy.
Your medication is affecting your heart rate
Different medications can cause changes in your heart rate.
Since those meds relax your heart, they also tend to slow it down.
Staying hydrated is key to maintaining a healthy heart rate in hot weather.
The same is true in cold winter weather according to theBritish Heart Foundation.
Well, you might want to think about hitting the gym!
One way to lower your resting heart rate is throughexercise.
