Exercising regularly is a great way to lose weight, strengthen your muscles and generally improve your health from an overall standpoint. During exercise it is normal to feel an increase in heart rate as your heart must work harder to provide oxygen-rich blood throughout the muscles in your body. However, abnormally fast heart rates during exercise may be a sign of an underlying medical condition and can prove to be dangerous in some patients.
Heart Rate
Understanding and determining what your maximum heart rate for your specific body type will help you determine if your heart is pumping too fast during exercise. According to the Mayo Clinic, you can find your resting heart rate by simply checking your pulse. Use two fingers to feel the palm-side of your opposite wrist just below your thumb. Count your pulse beats for 10 seconds. Multiply this number by six to determine how many times your heart beats in a minute while at rest. You can also use this method to determine your heart rate during exercise.
Tachycardia
After finding your heart rate, determine if your heart is working too quickly by comparing your beats per minute to typical normal heart rate guidelines. For example, the Mayo Clinic suggests that while there is a wide range of normal heart rates dependent upon your body type, a heart rate consistently above 100 beats per minute while at rest may be a sign of tachycardia, a cardiac medical condition that may lead to heart attack. Conversely, a heart rate below 60 beats per minute while at rest could be considered bradycardia.
Target Heart Rate
Staying within your target heart rate is ideal when determining the pace in which to exercise on a regular basis. To determine your target heart rate, measure your pulse in beats per minute while exercising and compare your result to your recommended range contingent upon your age bracket. Your target heart rate will be 50 to 85 percent of this maximum rate. For example, a 20 year old's maximum recommended heart rate is 200 beats per minute, thus making the target heart rate between 100 and 170 beats.
Considerations
Many different factors can play into how fast your heart will beat during exercise. For example, your body weight, body size, age, gender and other factors can cause your heart rate to differ from another person. Speak to your doctor for more information on the appropriate heart rate target for your specific body type.
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