Find Your Heart Rate

Your heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute. This is an important indicator of your overall health and fitness. Heart rate varies from person to person and can be influenced by age, activity level, and other health factors.

Your pulse is lower when you’re resting and higher during exercise, since your body needs more oxygen-rich blood when you’re active. Intense exercises, stress and consuming caffeine can elevate your heart rate for up to 2 hours. For the most accurate reading, get comfortable and allow yourself to relax before checking your heart rate.

How To Manually Check Your Heart Rate

• To find your heart rate, you can count your pulse on your wrist or neck

• Place the tips of your index, second and third fingers on the palm side of your wrist, below the base of your thumb, or place the tips of your index and second fingers on your lower neck, on either side of your windpipe

• Press lightly with your fingers until you feel your heartbeat pulsing beneath your fingers

• You may need to move your fingers around slightly up or down until you feel the pulsing

• Use a clock or the stopwatch on your phone to count the beats for 15 seconds

• Multiply this number by four to determine your average resting heart rate

• For most adults, a normal resting heart rate ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute. Consider speaking with a healthcare professional if your resting heart rate regularly exceeds 100 beats per minute, or if it’s frequently below 60 beats per minute and you’re not a trained athlete.

By tracking your heart rate, you can take control of your fitness and see how your efforts are paying off long-term.