“Beat” it up to a Healthy Heart!

Introduction

Your heart is a muscle. Like every muscle it needs to be worked and exercised.  What exercise should you be doing? How much exercise is enough? Can you do too much?

The American Heart Association has asserted that 20 minutes of “good” cardiovascular (heart) exercise a minimum of three times a week is essential to good health.

In order to determine the appropriate physical activity for a healthy heart you need to monitor your heart rate in three phases.

Words to Know:

·        Heart Rate: number of beats of the heart normally expressed as beats per minute

·        Resting heart rate:  The number of beats in one minute when you are at complete, uninterrupted rest.

·        Maximum Heart rate:  The highest number of times your heart can contract in one minute, which can be reached at maximum effort.

·       Target Heart rate (training rate): The heart rate rage within which the heart should beat to achieve the desired physiological (health and fitness) benefits.

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Materials and Procedures

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·       You will need: a pencil, personal recording chart and stopwatch.

·       With your partner, go to the links listed below to determine your personal heart rates.  Remember that everyone is different.

It is important that you do these calculations in order. Make sure you find your resting heart rate first. Then proceed to your Maximum Heart rate and then find your target rate.

·       After you calculate each of the heart rates, record the rates on your personal chart.

Resting Heart Rate     

Maximum Heart Rate  

Target Heart Rate