You check your heart rate after an activity. What does heart rate really indicate? Remember, Your heart is a pump. It pumps blood to all parts of your body. The heart contracts with each beat so the number of times your heart beats in a minute is your heart rate.
When you increase physical activity or exert yourself, your heart rate increases to keep up. Exercising regularly causes your heart to become more efficient at pumping. Because of this your heart rate at exertion may actually come down. A decreased heart rate at exertion is a sign of being physically fit.
If you don’t exercise regularly, your heart will have to work harder when you exert yourself and it won’t return to its normal beat quickly. Lowering your heart rate is another benefit of exercise.
I’m Steve Taylor, Physical Therapist of Southern Physical and Occupational Therapy Services
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