Finding Your Resting Heart Rate

Your fitness level can be gauged by your resting heart rate.  So how do you determine what your resting heart rate is?

Before you ever get out of bed in the morning, find your pulse and count the beats for one full minute (use a stop watch or a watch with a second hand).  Do this 3 mornings in a row.  Then take the average (add the heart rate for the 3 days and divide by 3).  This will be your resting heart rate.

The average person has a resting heart rate of 65-75 bpm.  Elite athletes have a resting heart rate of 45 bpm.  As you exercise regularly and get in better condition, your resting heart rate will get lower.  What this means is that while you’re going about your everyday activities, your heart won’t have to work as hard.  It also means that you will have to increase your intensity to get into your target zone.  You may notice improvements in your resting heart rate before you notice any major losses of inches or pounds.  That’s why using a heart rate monitor during exercise is a very useful tool.  It measures progress, as well as what your heart is doing during exercise.