Picture this: you're in the midst of an intense workout, feeling the burn and pushing your limits. As your body works harder, you notice your heart pounding heavily in your chest. But wait, is this normal? Should you be concerned? Fear not, because we're about to unravel the mystery behind your elevated heart rate during exercise and determine what levels are considered safe and healthy.
Relax, Your Heart is Supposed to Go Fast during Exercise
When you engage in physical activity, your body demands more oxygen and energy to fuel your muscles. To ensure your working muscles get necessary oxygen and nutrients, your heart starts to beat faster and pumps more blood to your muscles. Therefore, it’s normal to experience an increased heart rate during your workout. Yet, at what range is normal?
Determining a Safe Heart Rate Range
To ensure a safe and effective workout, it is essential to understand your target heart rate zone. The American Heart Association recommends aiming for a target heart rate between 50% and 85% of your maximum heart rate during exercise. The maximum heart rate can be estimated by subtracting your age from 220. For example, if you are 30 years old, your estimated maximum heart rate would be 190 beats per minute (bpm). Therefore, your target heart rate range during exercise would be between 95 bpm (50% of 190) and 162 bpm (85% of 190).
Benefits of a High Heart Rate During Exercise
As long as you exercise within your target heart rate range, there are actually numerous benefits. Firstly, it enhances cardiovascular fitness as your heart has to work harder to pump oxygenated blood to your muscles during high-intensity exercise. This challenges and strengthens your cardiovascular system, improving its efficiency and increasing your overall fitness level.
Secondly, regular exercise can lower resting heart rate and blood pressure, reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Additionally, exercise generally promotes weight management with increased calorie burns, improves lung capacity, boosts metabolism, enhances mood, and heightens energy levels.
While a high heart rate during exercise is generally normal, there are certain circumstances when it is important to exercise caution. If you have a pre-existing heart condition, it is crucial to consult your healthcare provider before starting any exercise program. Likewise, if you experience symptoms such as chest pain, dizziness, lightheadedness, severe shortness of breath, or an irregular heartbeat during exercise, it is advisable to seek medical attention promptly.
However, it is important to note that it might be too late waiting until you feel dizzy or experience shortness of breath. Therefore, continuously monitoring your heart rate during exercise to detect abnormalities before symptoms appear is vital for your health and in preventing accidents.
Monitoring Your Heart Rate Continuously
Actywell offers a variety of products designed to continuously monitor users’ vitals, including heart rate, core body temperature, SpO2, and respiratory rate. With Actywell’s products, users are able to monitor their health anytime and anywhere, and they can exercise with confidence and security knowing that they will be alerted immediately once abnormalities are detected.
Look no further than the following products, which offer exceptional options for health monitoring during exercise or even for daily tracking needs.
HLT-O – monitor heart rate, core body temperature, respiratory rate, and SpO2
HL2 - monitor heart rate and HRV, with power walk mode and mindfulness mode
HL3 - monitor heart rate, with power walk mode and mindfulness mode
Editor: Michelle Au