The rate at which your heart pumps blood is directly correlated with the intensity at which your body is working. Therefore, different activities will make varying impacts on your heart rate. Monitoring your heart rate while exercising is important for ensuring that you receive the maximum benefits from your workouts.
Function of the Heart
As your heart beats, it pumps out blood to be delivered to your working tissues. Within the blood is oxygen, which is necessary for the utilization of fuel, and the fuel and nutrients themselves. During rest, when you're seated or lying down, your heart rate is near its lowest point because your tissues aren't currently working and, therefore, don't need as much oxygen or nutrients.
Effects of Intensity
Activities are of varying intensity. Movements that require the recruitment of large muscles in your body, such as your legs, make your heart work harder. Your heart must adjust to the increased or decreased demands of whatever activity you're participating in. Activities such as running and riding an elliptical machine, which are movements that are driven by the legs, will make your heart pump faster in order to deliver the oxygen and nutrients required by your muscles. Your heart rate will also correspond accordingly with varying intensity within the same activity, such as sprinting versus jogging.
Ideal Exercise Heart Rate
Participating in regular physical activity offers numerous health benefits, including increased heart health and the promotion of a healthy body composition. In order to maximize the benefits of exercise and receive these benefits, you should perform your workouts at an intensity that causes your heart rate to fall into your target heart rate range. This range is about 50 to 80 percent of your maximum heart rate. To determine your target heart rate, first find your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. Then, multiply that value by both 0.50 and 0.80, which will give you the low- and high-end numbers of your range.
Adjusting Heart Rate
There are ways to adjust your heart rate during different activities. Increasing or decreasing the speed or rate of movement will cause your heart rate to increase or decrease. If you're on a piece of stationary cardiovascular equipment, such as a stationary bike or an elliptical machine, you can adjust the resistance or the incline.
Monitoring Heart Rate
There are a couple ways to monitor whether you're within your appropriate target heart rate range. You can wear a heart rate monitor, which is strapped across your chest against your skin. The real-time readings are then transmitted to a wrist watch for easy monitoring. You can count your heart rate by placing your fingers on your carotid artery and counting the number of beats in a minute. If neither of those are options, you can also use the talk test. Your breathing rate will correspond to your heart rate, increasing as your heart beats faster. When you're within your target heart rate range, you should be able to talk okay, but holding a constant conversation should be difficult.
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