Where should heart rate after exercise fall?
Heart rate after exercise may be used as an indicator of your heart fitness.
Normal resting heart rate
According to the National Institute of Health, normal average resting heart rate should be:
- 60 – 100 beats per minutes for children 10 years and older, as well as adults/seniors
- 40-60 beats per minute for well-trained athletes
Target heart rate during exercise
For moderate intensity activities your target heart rate is 50 – 69% maximum heart rate. For vigorous activity levels your target heart rate is 70-85% maximum heart rate.
To calculate your target heart rate subtract your age from 220. This gives you your maximum heart rate. Now, multiple your maximum heart rate by 0.5 and 0.69 to obtain your target heart rate range for moderate intensity activities. Multiply your maximum heart rate by 0.7 and 0.85 to obtain your target heart rate range for vigorous activities.
Depending on your goal intensity – moderate vs. vigorous – your heart rate should fall within your target heart rate range during activities.
If you are typically inactive, set your goal for the lower end (50-60% maximum heart rate) and work your way up over time.
There are blood pressure medications that lower maximum heart rates. Discuss with your doctor if you currently take blood pressure medications. Your target heart rate zone may need to be adjusted.
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The Beat on Resting Heart Rate (infographic)
See the below infographic highlighting the aggregated and anonymous resting heart rate data of over 1 million Fitbit users. Fitbit found a strong correlation between resting heart rate and two key health metrics: body mass index and moderate to intense daily activity. Check out some of the key data points about resting heart rate below, as well as tips on how to keep your heart healthy during the month of February and beyond.
Click to enlarge.
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What May Cause High Blood Pressure?
There are times when it is normal for the heart to beat harder, such as if you are out hiking and encounter a bear. Your blood pressure will jump so larger levels of oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood is sent through your system and you are able to react. All part of the flight or fight response.
When you are diagnosed with high blood pressure your blood pressure is not just high for limited periods of time. It is consistently elevated. This means the heart is constantly working harder than it should.
Here are 7 reasons your heart may be dealing with this increased workload:
1. Atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries) – This may be caused by cholesterol deposits along arterial walls resulting in plaque buildup. Fibrosis or endothelial dysfunction may also result in narrower arteries.
When arteries narrow the heart has to pump harder (exert more force) to move blood throughout the system.
Continue readingDr. Houston Answers Your Top Heart Health Questions – Part 2
Here are more of the questions and answers from my interview with Dr. Mark Houston in February 2010.
Lisa Nelson RD: Is there a connection between blood pressure and heart rate?
Dr. Houston: If blood pressure increases, normally the heart rate should decrease. However, in some patient with dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system the heart rate may increase with the blood pressure.
Lisa Nelson RD: Blood pressure fluctuation – What causes blood pressure to fluctuate drastically throughout the day? Is it something to worry about?
Dr. Houston: Most people have fluctuations during the day due to the normal circadian rhythm (high in AM and low in PM). Stress, anger, eating, exercise, rest, meditation, coffee are some of the things that will alter blood pressure. About 60 % of patients that drink coffee have increase blood pressure for several hours after consumption.
Lisa Nelson RD: What is the risk of not treating high blood pressure? For example, someone has a blood pressure of 160/100, but they feel perfectly fine. Why should they be concerned and seek treatment?
Dr. Houston: Heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney failure, loss of vision, aortic rupture, valve dysfunction, atherosclerosis. Hypertension is the silent killer. At this level the arteries will be damaged over time and all of these complications will occur. At that high level of blood pressure one will decrease life expectancy by about 15 years or more.
Lisa Nelson RD: Do blood pressure recommendations change with age?
Dr. Houston: A normal blood pressure is 120/80 regardless of age. If it goes up with age it means the arteries are not healthy, but very stiff.
Lisa Nelson RD: What is a normal blood pressure response post exercise? How quickly should heart rate return to normal post exercise?
Dr. Houston: Blood pressure will fall for several hours after exercise depending on hydration status and severity and length of exercise. Usually systolic (top number) blood pressure falls about 10-15 mm Hg and diastolic (bottom number) 5-10 mm Hg. Heart rate should return to normal within 2 minutes post exercise.
Part 1 – Top Heart Health Questions Answered By Dr. Houston
I’ll be posting more of the Q&A with Dr. Houston over the next few weeks. Sign-up for the e-course 7 Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure and you’ll also be notified when the new blog posts are added.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
http://www.lowerbloodpressurewithlisa.com
Heart Disease – What is the connection between blood pressure and heart rate?
Here’s another question I asked Dr. Cynthia Shelby-Lane and her answer.
Lisa Nelson RD: Please explain the connection between high or low blood pressure and someone’s heart rate? For example, if someone lowers their blood pressure, should they see a corresponding decrease in heart rate? Also, should someone be concerned about a consistently high heart rate, such as 100 bpm?
Dr. Shelby-Lane: Blood pressure and heart rate are interrelated components of the cardiovascular system and therefore, not mutually exclusively. One can affect the other.
Persons with well controlled high blood pressure, with or without medication, can also have a cardiac arrhythmia or irregular heart beat. This heart rhythm problem, if poorly controlled can then affect the blood pressure.
Persons with low blood pressure, due to a variety of reasons, can have a normal or abnormal heart rhythm. Person with a disorder called neurocardiogenic syncope can have low blood pressure and a low or normal heart rate, but this is positional in nature and may involve a severe hormone problem related to the adrenal glands.
Lisa Nelson RD: Hmmm, not sure you answered the question. Yes, blood pressure and heart rate are connected. If someone lowers there blood pressure via medication or lifestyle changes, should they expect a lower heart rate also?
Dr. Shelby Lane: This is not a straight forward answer. You can have normal blood pressure and an altered heart rate or vice versa. Heart rate and rhythm may be caused by electrical disturbances which may or may not affect blood pressure. Again, there is no one answer and follow up with a specialist is needed since there are multiple causes for high and low blood pressure as well as heart rhythm disturbances. Hope this makes sense.
Lisa Nelson RD: Thanks for the clarification. There is not one set answer for this question.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
7 Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure
