Health Sessions » Heart Rate

Free Style Heart Rate Monitor: Know your heart rate in an easy and convenient way.

Editor — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:45:05 +0000

This is a very advanced technology to detect a heart rate. It is portable and very convenient to use. It is lightweight and can be carried anywhere with you. The Free Style Heart Rate Monitor displays the heart rate and the time. It can be worn as a watch also. The readings are very accurate.

Basic Features:

1) Displays Heart Rate and the time of the day.
2) Free Style Heart Rate Monitor can be worn as a watch or as a chest strap.
3) These monitors are battery operated. So convenient in use even you can change the battery.
4) 100%accurate. It can be compared to an electrocardiogram for its accuracy.
5) Some models feature not only time but also stop watch and countdown alarms.
6) These monitors are water resistant.

Different models and styles are available in the market. Big players like Reebok and Liquids have produced these monitors with special features.

1) Rebok90 HRM: This is one of the most popular models in Reebok. Along with the heart rate it mentions the time of the day. It features a stopwatch as well as a countdown alarm. One useful function of this monitor is the scan facility, which scrolls through maximum, minimum and average heart rate per session. They come in the form of midsize watches for both men and women. It has a user changeable battery. Also features an advanced ECG censor, which detects your pulse. It also automatically calculates calories burned.

2) Liquid Pulse: This Monitor features a daily alarm along with date and time. It has an external pulse mode to determine heart rate at any time. You can carry on with your other activities like fitness training, walking, hiking or also it could be at your home or office The liquid Pulse watch also has the exercise counter with automatic and manual calorie counter.

3) F 11: This free style heart monitor is a favorite and a dream come true for many athletes. It is the only heart rate machine, which tells how much, and for long and how hard you need to exercise. The F11 has the wear Link coded transmitter. This is made from a soft fabric material. This makes it very comfortable in use. It displays heart rate accurately. They have a visible and audible alarm in target zone. It is resistant to water.

4) Polar AXN 500: You can depend on this monitor for accuracy. This heart rate monitor shows you the current altitude reading with graphical curves and your vertical progress. This will help you check your speed down the mountain or while climbing. Also helps you to track the changing weather.

Fat burning heart rate:

Editor — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:15:09 +0000

Many athletes and regular exercisers would love to lose body fat and improve their overall body composition. We could identify the exercise intensity which evokes the highest rate of fat oxidation, then we could selectively carry out workouts at this intensity and make dramatic improvements to our bodies. The fat becomes even more generous, providing around 70% of the total energy after two hours and 80% or more if your work duration exceeds three hours.

Fat provides all your energy:

It would not be breaking down carbohydrate during your workouts and as a result your leg muscles would be amply and permanently stocked with glycogen (assuming, of course, that your diet contained normal carbohydrate content). The each time you ate, the carbohydrate from your meal would be processed and transported to your muscles. Your muscle cells would say, 'No thanks, I don't need more carbohydrate, I'm already full.' The surplus carbohydrate from your meal would then be converted to, you guessed it, fat. Looks like a no win situation – as fast as you burn fat off it is replaced. The effective ways to lose fats are:

1. Most exercisers are time constrained to some degree and do not have hours to spend on low intensity sessions
2. The most effective way to lose body fat is to burn slightly more calories than you take in, and to continue this negative energy balance over an extended period of time.

Nowadays there are many fitness gyms which have come out and they are having different types of hydraulic machines to workout and remove fats from the body. In the fat burning zone, the body utilizes stored fat for energy. At approximately 60-70% of your maximum heart rate, 85% of your calories burned in this zone are fats, 5% are proteins and 10% are carbohydrates. Most of the athletes take powders to keep them fit and healthy. During the exercise, there are many energy systems evolved and there is no exact formula to determine the intensity that optimizes an individuals fat burning. However, by using a Heart Rate Zone Calculator (see below) it is possible to estimate which heart rate levels will result in the highest level of fat burning

Healthy Resting Heart Rate

Editor — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 05:30:07 +0000

It is a person's heart rate at rest. The heart beats about 60 to 80 times a minute when at rest. Resting heart rate usually rises with age, and it's generally lower in physically fit people. Resting heart rate will decrease with the heavy exercise or sports. Exercise or sports make heart larger and stronger.

Calculating Resting Heart rate:
The best time to find resting heart rate is in the morning, after a good night's sleep, and before getting out of the bed. Find a clock or watch with a second hand or second display and take pulse for 60 seconds. The heart beats about 60 to 80 times a minute.

Resting Heart Rate Scores:
If resting heart rate is less than 60 per min then it is Excellent. If heart rate is between 70 and 79 per min then score is Average. If resting heart rate is more than 89 then physical fitness is poor. There are many factors that influence your resting heart rate, including stress, food, excitement, room temperature, and previous physical exertion. Therefore your resting heart rate should be taken while sitting quietly and not after participating in vigorous activity. Take it several times to make sure it is stable.

Resting Heart Rate Limitations:
Though low resting heart rate is suppose to be an indicator of fitness but is not a good measure according to study conducted. It is suggested to use that recovery heart rate which is dependable measure than resting heart rate for checking physical fitness.

Calculating Recovery Heart Rate:
It helps to know how long it takes to slow down heart after vigorous exercise.
1. After vigorous exercise stop and immediately place finger on the side of neck where pulse can be felt. Count pulse for only six seconds and multiply that number times ten to get heart rate per minute.
2. Wait exactly sixty seconds and then count pulse again for six seconds and again multiply that number times ten. Do not count pulse for more than six seconds because heart slows down immediately after exercising.
3. Check pulse again exactly one minute later.

If heart does not slow down at least thirty beats per minute in the first minute, it indicates poor shape. If it slows down more than fifty beats in the first minute, it suggests excellent shape.

Most highly trained endurance athletes have low resting heart rates. Most untrained subjects who participate regularly in a good aerobic fitness program will experience a decrease in their resting heart rates.

Maximum Heart Rate -

Editor — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 02:59:56 +0000

Defining Heart Rate -

The rate at which the heart beats every minute is measured in terms of Beats per Minute (bpm). Also defined as the number of pulses of the heart in a minute or the number of times the heart expands and contracts in a minute, the range of the normal adult heart rate is around 70 bpm in males 75 bpm in females, but this may vary between people. In a child, it ranges from 80-120 bpm. While at rest, it ranges 24 to 44 beats per minute. Analyzing the heart rate of an individual can give a quick overview of his general health condition.

What is Maximum Heart Rate?

A heart can beat the fastest when an individual is involved in any activity. How hard and fast can a heart beat per minute, without resulting in a fibrillation can be measured in terms of 'Maximum Heart Rate' (MHR)? The maximum allowable heart rate can be estimated by subtracting an individual's age from 220. Rather than measuring the peak of the heart rate during any activity, it is easier to calculate the Maximum Heart Rate with the formula – 220 deducted by age in years.

The MHR varies in the human beings with the age, levels of fitness. More the age of a person, lower is the Maximum Heart Rate count.

More about Maximum Heart Rate -

A healthy heart would not be damaged when the heart rate exceeds the given MHR count. Or else, many athletes who train their hearts to the extremes of the MHR would have their hearts damaged. A healthy heart's muscles would not be burnt or damaged even if the heart rate exceeds 90% of the MHR. A true MHR is the highest heart rate attained at the highest level of activity, so by its very definition, MHR is impossible to be exceeded. Regular training lowers the MHR as well as the resting heart rate. This happens because the muscles which are exercised become more strong and efficient, and pump more blood at each beat.

Some facts and figures about Maximum Heart Rate -

With age, MHR drops down from around 220 bpm in children to around 160 bpm at the age of 60. which would be a drop of 1 bpm per year. There is no evidence showing that the training affects the decline. The best way of calculating the MHR is a stress test than the age-related formula, since the MHR still varies between individuals of the same age. But the resting heart rate is affected by endurance training to a great extent.

Heart rate variability:

Editor — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 02:00:09 +0000

Heart rate variability or in short HRV is a term coined for measure of variations in the heart rate. Heart rate variability is more often than not calculated by analyzing the time series of beat-to-beat intervals from ECG or arterial pressure tracings. A range of measures of heart rate variability have been proposed, which can generally be subdivided into time domain, frequency domain and phase domain measures. HRV is regarded by some as a display of the action of autonomic regulation of circulatory function, although this is an area of some debate. Alteration, which is mostly reduction of HRV, has been reported to be related with a variety of pathologic conditions like hypertension, hemorrhagic shock, and septic shock. It has found its role as an analyst of mortality after an acute myocardial infarction.

Time domain:

The term time domain is used to portray the study of mathematical functions, or real-life signals, with respect to time. In the time-domain, the indication or function's value is known at different discrete time points; or for all real numbers, for the case of uninterrupted time period. A general frequency domain system is the application of the discrete Fourier transform to the beat-to-beat time period time series. That demonstrates the quantity of variation for diverse frequencies. Numerous frequency bands of attention have been defined in humans.

Frequency band:

High Frequency band is determined by respiration and appears to derive mainly from vagal movement. Low Frequency band derives from both vagal and sympathetic action and has been hypothesized to replicate the impediment in the bar receptor loop. Very Low Frequency band (VLF) band is found in between 0.0033 and 0.04 Hz. The origin of this band is unknown, but it had been credited to corporeal activity. Ultra Low Frequency (ULF) band can be established between 0 and 0.0033 Hz. The major background of this band is day/night variation.A system that is biological which functions in the frequency domain is the auditory system, in which the basilar membrane of the inner ear is able to operate a power spectrum decomposition of incoming sound waves. The consequence is that we are able to hear a divesrse range of different frequencies played together as a collection of separate notes, rather than simply a complicated noise.

Heart rate calculator

Editor — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:30:19 +0000

Target heart rate zone (training zone) is the range between 60% and 80% of maximum heart rate. Working within this zone gives the maximum health and fat-burning benefits from cardiovascular activity. Maximum heart rate is the upper limit of what your cardiovascular system can handle during physical activity. To calculate target heart rate various methods are used. Following information is needed to calculate target heart rate zone:

i) Calculating Resting Heart Rate:
1. Before getting out of bed in the morning, pulse to be counted either on wrist (radial pulse) or on the side neck (carotid pulse).
2. Count the number of beats, starting with zero, for one minute.
3. To help assure accuracy, take resting heart rate three mornings in a row and average the 3 heart rates together.

ii) Intensity Level:
Another factor in finding your training heart rate zone is determining the intensity level at which to exercise. As a general rule, one should exercise at intensity of 50% – 85% of his/her heart rate reserve. Coach will be the right person to decide on intensity zone. A rough guideline is as follows:
1. Beginner or low fitness level 50% – 60%;
2. Average fitness level 60% – 70%;
3. High fitness level 75% – 85%.

iii) Maximum Heart Rate (MHR)
Any of the two formulas can be used to calculate MHR.
A) Maximum Heart Rate= (220 – Age)
The formula given below is supposed to be accurate then formula stated above:
B) Females MHR = [209 - (age * 0.7)]
Males MHR = [214 - (age * 0.8)]

Once information is collected to calculate target heart rate following formula is used:
1. The Karvonen Formula:
Training Heart Rate=[(Max Heart Rate - Rest Heart Rate) X (Intensity) + Rest Heart Rate]
2. Borg Scale: Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE): This is a subjective method it allows to rate how tired a person is feeling when working. RPE can be the primary means of measuring exercise intensity in people with medical conditions like:
1. Taking beta-blocking medications;
2. Cardiac patients;
3. Diabetic patients;
4. Pregnant women.

On a scale of 0 – 10, rate how a person is feeling in terms of exercise fatigue, includes both physical and mental status. Person should be exercising between an RPE of 4 and an RPE of 5 or 6. Following table is used to determine the intensity level:
0 —-Nothing at all;
0.5 —-Very, very weak;
1 —–Very weak
2——–Weak
3——–Moderate
4——–Somewhat strong
5——–Strong
6
7—————Very strong
8
9
10———-. Very, very strong (Maximal)
The above stated two methods can give the target training zone.

Normal Heart Rate -

Editor — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 12:45:13 +0000

Definition and Basics -

The Normal Heart Rate is the rate when the heart is at rest, when an individual is in a fully relaxed mental and physical state. In an adult, it is about 70 bpm in males and 75 bpm in females, but can vary between people. However, the range that is usually referred to as normal heart rate range is 60-100 bpm. It is considerably higher in case of inactive people as compared to active people (athletes). Normal Heart Rate also varies with age. Children of age less than 12 would have 80-120 bpm, children above 12 would have around 60-100 bpm.

How does the Normal heart beat?

A cluster of specialized cells in the right atrium of the heart called SA (sinoatrial) node acting as a natural pacemaker of the heart, sets the heart beat rate. A normal heart rhythm is called Normal Sinus Rhythm. The SA node fires impulses which are spread through the right and left atria, causing them to contact and force blood into the ventricles. The impulses travel to the AV (Atrioventricular) node, another cluster of specialized cells, however slow for a moment before going to ventricles. The impulses travel through a pathway of fibers called HIS-Purkinje network. The network sends impulse to the ventricles causing them to contract and force blood from the heart to the body and lungs. Once this is completed, the same cycle begins again when the SA node sends an impulse again.

Abnormal Heart Rate in the context of normal heart rate -

The normal heart rate is lower in young people, especially those who are physically fit. The heart rate varies normally in response to exercise and other stimulants like anger and pain. The heart rate is said to be abnormal (the condition is called arrhythmias) when it is unusually fast (called tachycardia) or slow (bradycardia) or is irregular. Arrhythmias can be of different types, Atrial Fibrillation and Atrial Flutter being the two most common types. These abnormalities in the heart rate may result in the heart's inability to pump blood properly, blood clots, blockages in the blood, causing deaths in severe cases.

Can there be changes in the Normal Heart Rate?

Illnesses such as cold, flu or light headedness may cause an increase in the normal heart rate.
Light headedness is an illness where an individual cannot consume enough fluids to replace the fluid loss from the body due to vomiting, fever, and diarrhea. Light headedness can also be caused with a sudden drop in the blood pressure caused due to change in positions.

Swimming Heart Rate Monitors

Editor — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 10:15:08 +0000

Any form of exercise makes the heart beat faster as more blood is required to keep pace with the burning of calories or the workouts done during the exercise. Swimming is an excellent way to burn calories and also an excellent way to stay fit and healthy. But one must take care not to exercise more than the recommended or target heart rate as it may cause harm. While swimming, one can use a swimming heart rate monitor to monitor the levels of heart rate.

Heart Rate Monitors

Heart Rate Monitors help you measure your heart rate accurately without the need to step into a doctor's clinic or seeking professional help to keep you updated with the levels of heart activity recommended and those achieved during workouts or exercises including swimming. Not only do heart rate monitors measure heart rate accurately, they help you set target heart rates over a period of time, thus helping you achieve your targets of burning calories in a systematic manner.

Swimming Heart Rate Monitors

Swimming Heart Rate Monitors help you know accurately how many calories you are burning while swimming and when you need to stop from exercising more than what is required. Swimming heart rate monitors are devices that can be strapped on or attached to your wristwatches. Two fingers of the other hand placed on buttons on the watch complete the circuit and heart rate is easily monitored. The only important thing is to note that the chest and the hands are above water level while monitoring heart rate.

New age swimming heart rate monitors

Some swimming heart rate monitors that are available in the market are able to transmit data to your computer, maintain heart rate data about previous workouts while swimming and give you comparisons and target heart rates quite easily. This helps to keep regular track of exercise routines and achieve better heart rate targets gradually over a period of time. Swimming has always been considered the best form of exercise or workout and a heart rate monitor that can be used during this exercise enhances fitness levels greatly.

Ideal heart rate:

Editor — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 23:45:07 +0000

Any of the exercise that increases your heart rate will burn calories and increase your metabolism. But, if you really want to know then let us do the work for you. We should exercise properly for the heart rate. Nowadays in the gym also they have equipments for heart works. Many athletes and performance-related occupations such as paramedics, fire fighters and police officers often challenge their aerobic levels to the max by participating in a battery of tests which assess their oxygen capacity and measure their maximum heart rate response. These men and women are tested under medically supervised settings, so you could not replicate these tests at home or at your local fitness center. There are different types of training zones. The level of fitness, maximum heart rate is very closely related to age regardless of gender, fitness level or resting heart rate. Whether we are talking about a coach potato or endurance athlete, maximum heart rate will decline just the same for either person, which is why the formula 220-age is universally accepted as the standard to calculate age-predicted maximum heart rate.

What should your heart rate be during exercises?

The number of formulas for determining your ideal heart rate while you exercise. And that rate can vary depending on your level of fitness and your fitness goals. Obviously if you training for a marathon your heart level would exceed a person trying to get back into shape and lose weight. According to the American Medical Association, your maximum heart rate is approximately 220 minus your age. The target heart rate should generally be between 50 and 75 percent of your maximum heart rate. This is your ideal heart rate during aerobic exercises like brisk walking or jogging. They have a chart that breaks down the rate for different ages. You should maintain yourself by working in gyms and should have proper diet should be there for the heart to be strong and avoid alcohol and cigarettes. And elder people should be fit and do walking daily to keep the heart strong. If your resting heart rate begins to increase and you notice a decrease in performance, you may be over training.

Mio heart rate monitor:

Editor — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 18:59:58 +0000

The Mio Heart Rate Monitor is the newest addition to the Mio family. It allows you to monitor your heart rate continuously with a compatible chest strap or on-demand with strapless quick-touch sensors. It provides target zone feedback with 100 hour high / low / in-zone timer and audible target alarm. The Mio Heart Rate Monitor works with chest straps included in home fitness equipment allowing you to get completely customized feedback such as calories burned and percent of maximum heart rate on your wrist on or off your machine. This is designed for cyclists and triathletes. Current chest strap users can upgrade to Mio to continue getting continuous feedback and can now also enjoy the undeniable benefits of strapless monitoring.

Keeping track on heart

It is important to monitor your heart rate for many reasons especially if you are ill over weight or about to start exercising for the 1st time. Here are some of the main parameters that you should understand. Maximum heart rate is the highest number of heart beats per minute achieved in an all-out effort. This number is individual based on age, heredity and fitness level. It can be estimated from your age, for adults it equals to 220 – age. If you are over the age of 40, overweight, have been sedentary for several years, or have a history of heart diseases in your family, clinical testing is recommended. A Heart Rate Monitor allows you to check the palpitations of your heart correctly. This is the best method of keeping a thorough check over the heart rate of a person.

Important role
Mio Heart Rate Monitor plays an important role in maintaining your fitness regime. Mio Heart Rate Monitors can also analyze that data with special software. Heart Rate Monitor can also be used for checking the exercise intensity. This type of usage of a Heart Rate Monitor is based on the sound physiological principals. Many of the new models of these monitors are so compact that they can be easily stored. These Heart Rate Monitors come with an easy to carry bag having specialized chords in them. While buying Heart Rate Monitors, one should keep in mind that the monitor should be a quality product and measures the exact heart rate. After all you are spending a lot on Heart Rate Monitor, so Mio heart rate monitor is the good option to get correct heart rate.

Oregon scientific heart rate monitor:

Editor — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 03:00:04 +0000

Oregon Scientific, Inc. is one of the world's leading designers and marketers of personal electronic products in the consumer field. Like other monitors, Oregon scientific heart rate monitor is also used to measure the heart rate or pulse of a person. There is a whole new range of heart rate monitors that vary in features and designs. These can display fat burning optimization which is % of calories from fat burn. There are many models of Oregon scientific heart rate monitors that are indicated by a combination of letters and numbers.

Models of Oregon scientific heart rate monitor:

Oregon scientific HR308 heart rate monitors which come with a smart trainer program that allows the user to enter age, sex, weight, and height and activity level. The user can change any of these parameters to use their own figures. This consists of self change batteries in both the watch and the chest transmitter. Second model is SE211 heart rate monitor. This has vibration alarm and uses dual transmission technology that means can switch from analog to digital transmission. SE212 heart rate monitor is a small watch unit ideal for female/ child wrists and features similar to SE211. SE232 heart rate monitor and SE233 heart rate monitor feature same as SE211 but have additional features of 99 lap stopwatch in both these models. This measures the average heart rate per lap. All the models are compatible with the most popular gym equipments. HR102 wireless heart rate monitor features stop watch, displays heart rate and the wireless chest strap transmits heart rate to accompanying wrist watch.

Benefits of Oregon scientific heart rate monitor:

Measures calories burnt.
Come in models of wireless chest bands and batteries, which make them very handy.
Due to the dual transmission technology, the user can have the best of both the worlds.
These models are ideal for runners in groups, spinning classes and gym equipments.
The fat burning feature that displays the % of calories from the fat indication helps you optimize the time spent burning majority of fat calories.
It features HiGlo backlight.
Water resistant that can be used up to 30 meters.
Come in nylon "bum bag to keep it all together.

Choice is yours:

There are many features that make the Oregon scientific heart rate monitors special. You can select the one you like and the feature that suits your need. Some of the models also come in various colors like yellow which look very attractive.

Low heart rate:

Editor — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 11:30:05 +0000

Low heart rate means that the heart is beating too slowly usually less than 60 beats per minute. It is important to realize that for some people with healthy hearts, a rate below 60 beats per minute may be normal. After all, our heart rates may dip below normal range when we sleep, and some athletes experience heart rates below 60 beats per minute when they rest. The two most common causes of bradycardia are diseases of the senatorial node sick sinus syndrome, which is the heart's natural pacemaker or other problems with the heart's electrical conduction system heart block. These diseases can cause the heart to beat too slowly all the time or occasionally. In either case, the heart may not pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. As the heart rate declines, there is not sufficient blood flow to the brain, causing feelings of light-headedness, and sometimes, fainting.

Every normal heart has a normal rhythm. That rhythm varies from person to person. In most healthy people, the heart at rest beats about 60 to 100 times per minute. A small bunch of heart cells called the sinoatrial node keeps time. Many athletes especially runners have low resting heart rates. As long as the EKG shows a normal sinus bradycardia, and as long as the heart rate rises appropriately with exercise, there is usually no problem. A low heart rate can sometimes cause dizziness or lightheadedness, in addition to fatigue, but this does not appear to be the case with you. An under active thyroid can cause a low heart rate. Sometimes electrolyte imbalances can cause a low heart rate and this is of particular concern if someone is on a very restrictive type of diet.

Symptoms of low heart rate:

Each heart has it own normal rhythm brought about by the seamless flow of electrical impulses that begins in the heart's natural "pacemaker" sinus node. The electricity flows through the upper chambers (atria), crosses the bridge between upper and lower chambers atrioventricular node and travels to the lower chambers ventricles. This passage of electricity culminates in a carefully coordinated contraction of heart muscle that pushes blood throughout the human body.

Each day, a normal heart contracts about 100,000 times, at a rate anywhere from 60 to 100 times a minute. Abnormally slow heart rates are typically those below 60 beats a minute and either can be relatively harmless or life threatening. Changes in rate brought about by variations in activity, diet, medication and age are normal and common. For some people, such as athletes in top condition, a resting heart rate of below 60 can be normal. Similarly, at certain times, such as sleep, a heart rate may slow and still be normal. Symptoms of low heart rate are:

1. Fatigue, weakness
2. Dizziness
3. Lightheadedness
4. Fainting
5. Shortness of breath.

Heart Rate Monitors

Editor — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:30:05 +0000

Heart rate monitors used to be exclusively operated by physicians and nurses alone but that was soon rectified with today's multi-tasking generation. Every person seemed to want to know about everything that was related to them and that of course included monitoring their own heartbeats.

What is a Heart Monitor
Also known as a cardiac monitor, a heart monitor is a piece of electronic equipment that can be used to track or observe heart functions continuously. It allows people to place a numerical value on their healthiness based on their heart rate and have a target heart rate to work for. The more complex versions of the heart monitor allow physicians to see any signs of deterioration or improvement and make the necessary adjustments immediately.

Types of Heart Monitors
Today, heart monitors are produced by the millions and designed to cater specific types of individuals. Some heart monitors are primarily designed for weight loss programs while others are meant for the use of athletes or fitness programs. Some are wireless or come as a built-in feature of exercise equipment like a treadmill or an exercise bike. It can be strapped to your wrist or of considerable size. It may or may not emit any electromagnetic waves, depending on its purpose. A fetal heart monitor, for instance, must not produce any waves at all as this may affect the health of the baby.

Factors on Selecting the Best Heart Monitor for You

ECG-Accurate Monitors with Chest Straps – Heart monitors that come with chest straps are more often not the most accurate of heart monitors. The chest strap is strapped around your chest, a few centimeters below your breast. It contains a device that's able to detect electrical activity of your heart and transmit it to the brain of the machine – just like an ECG. The results are shown on the display monitor, which most of the times is attached to your wrist like a watch. Others however prefer results to be transmitted through audio messages via earphones.

Upon choosing heart monitors with chest straps, you need to remember to keep the strap constantly connected to your body lest you want the heart monitor to produce inaccurate readings.

Lastly, the only alternative against buying heart monitors with chest straps are the ones that rely on pulses on your fingertips. These however do not provide readings as accurate as those with chest straps.

Heart Monitor Features – Basic and lower end models tend to display only your heart rate and maybe the elapsed exercise time as well. This of course does not provide sufficient information if you want to know exactly how much you need to improve before you can be qualified as a completely healthy individual. Higher end models will naturally offer a wider range of features – for a price. Examples of such features are – but not limited to – heart rate zone alarms, timers and number of calories burned. It may also allow users to set pre-programmed workouts along with a targeted heart rate.

Ease of Use – Lastly, you must purchase a heart rate monitor that you will have no problems of using. What good would a high end heart monitor do if it takes you an hour to operate it? Are the numbers and words appearing in the heart rate monitor readable? Can it be used in no-light situations? Are buttons well-labeled and ergonomically positioned?

To Buy or Not to Buy a Heart Monitor
Heart monitors can be especially costly, more so if you are intent on purchasing higher-end models. If you have a limited budget, you should ask yourself whether or not you truly need to buy a heart monitor. You can of course purchase one of the lower-end models but low quality heart monitors can lead to inaccurate results and that sort of defeats the purpose of buying one.

If you are intent on purchasing a heart monitor, you need to ask yourself another question: do you need to make a solo purchase or is it alright with you to use the heart monitor that comes as a built-in feature of a treadmill? Lastly, you should remember as well that you can always pay your doctor regular visits and have him monitor your heart rate for you.

Aerobic heart rate

Editor — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:15:03 +0000

Doctors have consistently tried to define the correct rate of hear beats during exercising so that maximum benefits can be retained. Aerobic heart rate is the value of heart beats per minute during exercising, which is considered optimum for best results. For those undergoing weight and fat reduction programs, knowledge of aerobic heart rate is extremely important to optimize results. The exercise regimen must be planned in such a way that the heart rate around 70% of maximum. A normal adult heart beats for about 60-100 times per minute. In people who are excessively overweight, the aerobic heart rate can be lower value, say around 50%.

A workout naturally puts the muscles to work, and to sustain this workload, the body needs to pump in more oxygen. The heart has to pump in this extra oxygen and has to beat faster and we experience heavier, faster breathing cycles. To estimate the correct pace for training a general formula has been evolved

Subtract current age from 220 (for women 226)

This value is the maximum heart rate for a person. Now the aerobic heart rate as, mentioned earlier is between 65% -75 % and about 50% for super heavyweight category. The treadmills can thus be calibrated to match the aerobic heart rate values.

While exercising, one can easily gauge the heart rate even by a simple pulse check.

Here are some thumb rules for the heart rate for different levels of exercise:

50%-60% – warm up, getting started. This is the best way to start a fitness program. It is also used for warming up for the serious fitness buffs. During this session, 80% of the calories burnt are fats.

60%-70% – fitness training or burning fat. A slightly extensive session than the warm up. The calories burnt are about the same, It helps reduce cholesterol, blood pressure and body fat

70%-80% – Endurance or aerobics.This range specializes in strengthening the cardiovascular muscles.It makes the heart stronger. About 50% fat calories are burnt here.

It is not recommended to exceed the levels of 85% for fat burning training as the body produces lactic acid at these levels and these can be counterproductive.

Remember, exercise that is performed within your aerobic heart rate range maximizes heart and other systemic benefits Most health associations and journals advise 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise three or four times a week. A regular aerobic exercise routine will help build resistance to heart problems, besides building good endurance and fitness levels.

Baby heart monitor:

Editor — Mon, 25 May 2009 00:30:01 +0000

Heart of a Baby:

How did you feel when your baby kicked you for the first time? Most of you would have just broken into cold sweat the first instance. But probably when you realized it is just the little one waking up or gearing up for play that your heart beat must have steadied.

Motherhood can be a fun experience. It can also be a stressful experience if you are not prepared. Some physicians say it help to prepare yourself throughout your pregnancy to rev-up for the big date of delivery.

There are some manufactures that, understanding a mother's anxiety, created a product that will help you monitor your baby. Rather monitor your baby's heart beat. This device is called the baby heart monitor.

Advantages of a Baby Heart Monitor:

With a baby heart monitor expecting mothers can listen to the heart beat of their fetus. If you are feeling anxious or nervous and are wondering how it is impacting your baby, just whip out the monitor and check for yourself.

Sometimes it can be a real eye opener. The baby monitor is an ultra-sound device, just like the one your obstetrician uses, just that it is very handy to use at home. And notwithstanding its size it offers great clarity of sound.

The other advantage is that you can not just listen to the sound, but also record it. Just in case you have a check up with your doc lined up. Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen circumstances you cannot go to the clinic. Nevertheless, you are very keen on getting the doctor's opinion on the growth of your fetus.

All you have to do then is to record the fetal heart beat and mail it to your doctor. Even your doctor can listen to the heartbeat of your baby with great clarity. The other advantage with modern day baby monitor is that it is light weight and handy and can easily trace the location of your baby's heart. You do not have to move the sensor around to get to the heart beat.

Some Questions:

Some mothers are worried about exposing their babies so early on to ultra-sound waves. Experts say that most of the baby monitors are suitable for use after the 12th week of pregnancy. And they are perfectly safe. You will have to check though if the ultrasound wave levels they permit are within FDA limits. Also check if they are cleared by the FDA.

If you do this minimum homework, using a baby heart monitor will not be troublesome at all. In fact, it will be a boon in building a more wholesome and fulfilling family.

Fetal Heart Monitor: Hear Your Baby's Heartbeat; know that it's safe and happy

Editor — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 02:15:17 +0000

In pregnancy both the health of the mother and the fetus is of equal importance. As for the condition of the fetus it can be detected only with the help of certain processes like scanning and fetal heart monitor which makes it possible to hear the heartbeat of the baby Fetal Heart Monitor listens to the reflections of the sound waves made by the babies' heart. It allows parents and friends to listen to the baby's heartbeat whenever they want

How Does It Work?

This is battery operated and very easy to use. So convenient that it can be done at home also. Place the heart monitor just above the pelvic bone tilt it in various angles and listen. You will hear amazing sounds of your baby's heartbeat. Parents can hear the heartbeat from the 8th week of pregnancy. High frequency sound waves do not travel in air; therefore an ultrasound lotion has to be applied to the mothers belly in order for the monitor to detect the sound of the baby. The signals are picked by the monitor and processed so they are audible in the speaker and you are able to hear the magical sound of your baby's heart.

Types of Fetal Heart Monitor:

1) Digital Baby Monitor: This is very easy and convenient to use. You can do it at home also. The digital monitor calculates the heart rate and gives a digital display making it simpler. This digital monitor uses a technology called as the static suppression Doppler. It provides a static free signal for more clarity.

2) Fetal Doppler: This monitor is of high quality used by many physicians. It detects the infant's heartbeat. These monitors are not harmful in anyways to the mother or the baby. It is lightweight and portable. It has a pre angle, which helps to locate heartbeat easily. To determine the baby's heartbeat you have to count the heart rate for 10seconds and multiply it by 6. This will give the heartbeats per minute.

3) Handheld Fetal Monitor: This is used clinically as well as at homes. Very easy lightweight and convenient to use. It features an audio speaker plus a LCD for the clear display of the fetal heart rate. You can hear as well as see the heartbeats in the display.

Uses of Fetal Heart Monitor:
1) You and your loved ones can hear the babies' heat beat anytime you want at your home.
2) Through the heartbeats you can know that your baby is safe and gives you peace of mind.
3) You can know your babies heartbeat even before his birth and form a special bond with him.
4) Digital Monitors make it easy. You don't have to sit and count the heartbeats.

Ascent contest heart rate monitor:

Editor — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 14:02:54 +0000

A heart rate monitor is an electronic device that allows a user to monitor heart rate while engage in sports like swimming, or running and exercising. It normally has two parts a chest strap and a wrist receiver. Wrist receiver has a watch. Strapless heart rate monitors are available in market, but lack some of the functionality of the original design. New models with additional facilities measure heart rate variability to assess a trainee's fitness. Heart rate monitor specially built for contest and altitude need special features like:

1. displaying altitude;
2. display atmospheric pressure;
3. displaying environmental temperature;
4. measuring speed and distance,
5. saving training session information for improvements;
6. Help in programming exercise or session for user.
7. keeping record of heart rate with time and exercise routine,
8. Analyzing sessions.

Many products are available in market a description of popular heart rate monitor with special features is listed:

The polar s720i includes: manufactured primarily for cyclists, mountaineers and skiers
1. measures speed and distance,
2. precision performance software: training sessions can be saved, analyzed in detail and emailed,
3. built in altimeter to check altitude,
4. Built in thermometer to check environmental temperature.
5. Can pre- program exercise schedule.
6. Exercise profiles can be programmed as per use's choice.

Ciclosport hac4 hrm: designed primarily for cyclists, mountaineers and skiers: the special features are:
1. Altitude,
2. Rate of accent and decent,
3. Temperature and heart rate information is provided.

Suunto 51-advizor altimeter, barometer, heart rate monitor, compass.
1. altimeter,
2. barometer,
3. ascent/descent rate for every hour,
4. time spent in, above and below target heart rate zone;
5. Stores total training time.

Acumen tz-max 100 heart rate monitor w/usb connection
1. 2-way pc communication included software and connector,
2. heart rate with target zone alarms,
3. a recovery heart rate timer,
4. 9 interval timers,
5. A stopwatch feature.

Ultimo cardio sport heart rate monitor: designed for personal trainers, coaches, competitive athletes, and multi-sport athletes.
1. 80 hours of heart rate recording during exercise,
2. playback of single recording session data,
3. up to 6 files available at selectable intervals,
4. files can be uploaded to pc,
5. it has a high /low limit heart zone alarm,
6. time in zone display,
7. displays time in, above, and below zones.

Omron heart rate monitor:

Editor — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 18:04:58 +0000

Heart Rate and heart rate monitor:

The number of times the heart beats or contracts in one minute is called as the heart rate. It is measured in beats per minute (bpm). Often known as pulse, it is usually measured to obtain a quick evaluation of person's health. A heart rate monitor is a device that allows a user to monitor their heart rate whilst exercising. This is designed as a chest strap and a wrist receiver which doubles as a watch. Also while riding, the rider can monitor the horses' heart rate. This monitor usually consists of electrodes under the saddle or girth, and is worn by the rider like a watch. This measures the beats per minute.

Omron heart rate monitor:

This heart rate monitor will act as a personal coach that will maximize effective exercising program by monitoring and giving a record of every step that you perform. The model design of Omron heart rate monitor is indicated by HR-100C. This model is worn around the wrist to record the heart rate. If you're exercising or working out too hard, sometimes this might lead to straining your muscles thereby increasing the heart rate. So it is very important to know your heart rate even while you're exercising to achieve normal heart activity and effective workout. The proper level of your heart rate is 65% – 85% of your maximum heart rate. During any workouts this proper level should be maintained for at least 20 minutes to ensure good health.

Benefits of Omron heart rate monitor:

1. It's easy to program monitor with ventilated watch band worn around the wrist.
2. It has a backlight function.
3. For low and high heart rates there is an alarm function.
4. It can be easily mounted to most treadmills and bicycles due to its mounting bracket.
5. Comes with a soft zippered storage case.
6. It can display time of the day and also can set daily reminder alarm.
7. It is a water resistant monitor watch and has a chest transmitter belt up to 98 feet (30 meters).
8. Comes with one year warranty.

Other heart rate monitors:

There are many brands of heart rate monitors you get in the market. Some of them are Polar, Timex, Cardio Sport, Nike, Suunto, Oregon Scientific, Reebok, CicloSport, etc. All have the same function that is measure heart rate.

Heart rate monitor watches:

Editor — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 22:00:38 +0000

As the demand for heart rate monitor watches in warfare grew, rugged timepieces covered with metal grids were introduced. The first chronograph wristwatches were developed, and luminous hands and markers were developed. Men tended to regard the heart rate monitor watch as effeminate. So, the vintage Rolex men's watch is a relatively rare timepiece. As demand for heart rate monitor watches in warfare grew, rugged timepieces covered with metal grids. Maximize workouts; manage your weight and control stress with the Mio line of strapless heart rate monitors.

First to introduce:

The Mio is the world's first heart rate monitor watch that takes and ECG-accurate heart rate without the annoying chest strap! Also calculates the percent of max heart rate during exercise, calculates calories burned during your workout, times how quickly your heart rate recovers after a workout and tracks daily calories consumed.

Other facts:

Economically the heart rate monitors with a Lifetime Warranty and user changeable batteries. Several models to choose from basic heart rate monitors to full-featured monitors suitable for athletes and coaches. The people worked out with each of the tested monitors at least once. Accuracy is given the greatest weight in the ratings, and comparing each heart-rate monitor to a portable electrocardiograph for each user during a fifteen-minute workout tests models. Then staffers used the monitors in their own workout, noting ease of use. We like that editors updated the report a year later. Nike Company has many models of heart rate monitors. The heart rate monitors look decent and good look and attractive. Knowing the exercise load and training effect helps athletes on every level to make an optimal training plan and to avoid both over and under training. One of the main focuses is your body, how you look after it, especially our heart. Our heart rate informs us how hard it works to pump the blood into our circulation system to supply oxygen, hence it shows how fit each and individual, the lower the heart rate, the less strenuous for the heart to work. This can only be achieved and maintained by physical exercise.

Heart Rate Training -

Editor — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:38:36 +0000

Basics of Heart Rate Training -

It is very essential to know what is the best way to exercise to keep the heart in a healthy condition. Heart Rate Training helps in tracking the heart's performance, improving it and avoiding over-training. It can best be done with the help of Heart Rate Monitors. With training, an individual gets to know his realistic level at which he can exercise his heart to be in good condition and avoid over-exercising the heart.

More about Heart Rate Training and Training Zones-

The Heart Rate Training is basically concerned with the Training Zones. Determining the zones helps in determining the right kind of exercise for an individual to keep off from the heart problems. These Training Zones consider the Maximum Heart Rate and the Resting Heart Rate. Certain physiological changes take place in the body within each training zone that increases fitness. Different Training Zones can be defined and training under these can help develop and certain endurance level and aerobic capacity.

Heart Rate Training is a popular training form that monitors the heart rate and helps determine if an individual is working on his body within or above the limits. The heart rate while training can be determined in two ways – first, placing the fingers on the opposite wrist and counting the beats, and the second is counting pulse rate by placing the thumb and first finger on the throat, under the jaw on each side.

Different Training Zones -

Maximum Heart Rate and the Resting Heart Rate are taken into consideration while calculating different zones. These zones can be listed as -

1. Energy Efficient (Recovery Zone) – The heart is trained at 60-70% of its capacity and a basic endurance and aerobic capacity can be developed. Fat burning and weight loss happens, and the muscles are re-energized with glycogen.

2. Aerobic Zone (70-80%) – Cardiovascular system is developed, muscles are developed and improved, body's ability to transport oxygen to and carbon dioxide from the muscles improves. The body becomes fitter and stronger with more aerobic capacity.

3. Anaerobic Zone (80-90%) – The lactic acid system is developed, the amount of fat used as the main source of energy is reduced and glycogen stored in the muscle is used. By training in a proper way, the anaerobic threshold or POD can be delayed by increasing the ability to deal with the lactic acid for a longer period of time.

4. Red Line Zone (90-100%) – Very fit people only can train under this zone. Training is possible only for a short period and it trains the fast twitch muscle fibers and is reserved for interval running.

Average heart rate:

Editor — Sat, 17 May 2008 04:21:55 +0000

Do You Have the Heart?

The awareness of heart disease is on rise. But that does not mean that we have fewer people with heart diseases. While more and more people are changing their lifestyles towards better health, we are still not a perfectly healthy society.
There are some factors that we cannot impact at all. These definitely have a bearing on the condition of your heart. These are:

You're Gender
Women can die of heart disease than any other diseases like cancer. But men have a higher degree of life-long risk of heart disease. They are therefore likely to experience an attack early on in life.

You're Age
Age is another factor that impacts your heart. Beyond the age of 60, you are more prone to heart disease. In that too, women die twice as much as men.

Heredity
People who have a family history of heart disease stand at a higher risk than those who do not. Therefore, if a father has died of heart disease, the son has a higher chance of having heart disease than someone whose father did not have heart disease.

Other Risk Factors
While the above three things are not in our hands, there are things that are merely created by us. These are:

Cigarette Smoking
Cigarette smoking can be really injurious to your heart. People who smoke stand at a higher risk of developing heart disease. Some experts say that men who smoke will die quickly and suddenly.

High Cholesterol Levels
Cholesterol enters our system from what we eat. Cholesterol is of two types – high density cholesterol and low density cholesterol. It is the low density cholesterol that causes heart diseases. It forms plaque within the blood vessels in the heart.

Diet
What we eat is what we exhibit. If we eat fatty food and are alcoholic it will be an open invitation for heart disease.

Stress Levels
The higher the stress levels, the greater impact it has on your heart. Something as simple as `my heart skipped a beat' can have lasting repercussions.

High Blood Pressure
This condition develops as people age and face stress in their lives. Add to that if they do not take care of their diet and exercise they are exposing themselves to the harms of developing high blood pressure. Once a person has high blood pressure, they are always at a risk of developing heart disease.

The trick then to stay away from heart disease is to take care of all the above factors.

Fetal Heart Rate

Editor — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 16:01:09 +0000

Baby's heart within womb starts beating around fifth week of pregnancy. Average fetal heart rate ranges between 110 and 160 beats per minute. This is much faster than an adult heart rate, which ranges from 60-100 beats per minute. Changes in the fetal heart rate, which occur with contractions, form a pattern. Baby's heart rate increases with mother's movement and with uterine contractions. Baby's heart rate may drop during a contraction but return to normal immediately following the end of the contraction. A normal fetal heart rate ranges from 110 to 160 beats per minute and can vary within this range. Sometimes mother's position is compressing umbilicus so ask her to change her position and then check fetal heart rate.

Danger Signal:
Changes in Fetal heart rate of 20 beats suggest problem in pregnancy. Baby's heart rate may be below 120 beats per minute. This indicates that baby has a heart disorder or is not getting enough oxygen. Some times baby's heart rate may be above 160 beats per minute. This may be caused by infection or by medications mother is taking or by a possible heart problem in baby, or by prolonged distress to baby.

Complication:
Neurological damage occurs when the baby's brain is deprived of oxygen. Lack of oxygen to the brain can be recognized by patterns in the baby's heart rate. When the baby's heart rate pattern demonstrates a change other than normal range, it may be necessary for the baby to be born immediately.

Causes:
Abnormal fetal heart rate pattern can be due to various reasons such as
1. Umbilical cord which connects baby to mother is being compressed and thus oxygen supply to baby is decreased;
2. Placental problems caused by high blood pressure (pre-eclampsia);
3. Diabetes;
4. Infection of the uterus;
5. Separation of the placenta from the uterine wall;
6. A uterine rupture.

Treatment:
Abnormal fetal heart rate patterns do not always mean there is a serious problem, nor do they point to the root cause. Other tests will be done to find what is the problem. If the baby's heart rate patterns don't improve, advice for an emergency delivery will be given. Mean while Health Care provider will try to relieve fetal distress by
1. Given oxygen through a mask
2. Given intravenous fluids
3. Given medication to decrease the strength of contractions and relax the uterus

Fetal Heart Rate is monitored within the pregnancy and through out the labor. It can be done externally as well as internally. Talk to Health Provider and choose a monitor.

Heart Rate Monitors

Editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:52:10 +0000

What are Heart Rate Monitors?

A device usually worn like a watch and consists of a chest strap and a wrist receiver, used to monitor the heart rate during exercise. The reading shows the hearts beats per minute. They are used as a tool for fitness training. Earlier used only by athletes, they are being used by general public as well. They show accurate pulse rate and an exercise regimen can be planned accordingly. The simplest models of heart rate monitors just measure the heart rate while the more advanced models download data to a PC, record the same in a program that analyzes the heart rate pattern and based on it, design workout programs.

Brief Review on the Best Heart Rate Monitors -

The first wireless model of the monitor introduced by Polar Company in 1983 was claimed to be accurate as an electrocardiogram. Polar has been the leader in making some of the best heart rate monitors. The monitor has two batteries, one – a receiver (wrist unit) and the other – a transmitter (chest strap).

What do experts say about the features of Heart Rate Monitors?

1) An accurate reading can't be obtained if the chest strap is not fitting properly. It can be a problem in case of women as most of the straps are designed to fit a man's chest.

2) Display of the reading needs to be big and bold to enable one to read it while running or cycling. A cyclist needs to have the monitor fitted on the handle bars.

3) Easy to find big buttons are needed to push with fingers while moving.

How much are Heart Rate Monitors are useful?

They act as motivators in the workout programs like coaches. Beginners learn to read their body performance in terms of heart rate and avoid indulging in over exercising. They help in energy doling out during time trailing or climbing, saving some for the final effort. They aid in designing a customized workout programs by giving accurate reading and analyzing the heart rate information. They point out any case of over exercising.

Drawbacks of Heart Rate Monitors -

Same amount of effort is not involved everyday during exercise, so it becomes inconsistent using a monitor and exercising. There is no scientific evidence that a monitor would help improve an individual's performance during exercise. A monitor displays the heart rate related data but doesn't teach using the same in performance improvement. During the 15-30 seconds lag in the heart rate response when the exertion level changes, the monitor fails to give accurate. They are unreliable during group training and cause distractions from road hazards.

Timex Heart Rate Monitor:

Editor — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 18:26:39 +0000

A heart rate monitor is a device that allows a user to monitor heart rate during exercising. It usually consists of two elements, a chest strap and a wrist receiver.Human bodies build endurance and speed at specific exertion levels. Exertion level is measured by heart rates. Strapping on a heart rate monitor can keep person within the correct level of exertion, 100% of the time, so that person does not end up wasting energy. Working out in anaerobic zone helps raise anaerobic threshold (AT) the point at which the oxygen supply to muscles starts to lag and lactic acid begins to build up. A higher anaerobic threshold allows to run harder and faster without excess lactic acid buildup.

There are many models in market such as Polar heart rate monitor, Timex Heart Rate monitor, Reebok heart rate monitor, Nike Omara heart rate monitor.

Timex Heart Rate Monitor:
The Timex Digital Heart Rate Monitor is based on the latest digital technology from Timex with fitness methodology used by the fitness experts and personal trainers of the Ironman Institute. Timex has created a Digital Heart Rate Monitor. This Heart Rate Monitor offers the accuracy and facility needed by world-class athletes. It is not only for world-class athletes but can be used by anyone at any age to keep fit.

Special Feature: Timex monitors include:
1. The new Body Link GPS system
2. Data Recorder
3. Download capabilities

Timex Digital Heart Rate Monitors can be used while walking, running, and while on bike, or can be used with exercise machines, or while doing aerobic exercise. The key to achieving and maintaining desired Fitness is to exercise in Ideal Heart Rate Zone. Following can be achieved with the help of Timex Heart Rate Monitor:
1. Lose Weight and Burn Fat,
2. Increase Stamina and Aerobic Endurance,
3. Achieve Peak Athletic Performance,
4. Improve Your Fitness Condition.

Different Heart Rate Monitor Products by Timex:
Digital Heart Rate Monitor Chest Strap: The Digital Heart Rate Monitor chest sensor strap, which works with all Digital Heart Rate Monitors, is small, light.
a. It has FM transmission.
b. Avoids cross talk with other monitors.
c. Water Resistant strap.

Iron man triathlon 100 Lap Digital Heart Rate Monitor:
a. 100-lap memory, including heart rate, lap time and split time,
b. Display with flipping system for easy reading of heart rate and elapsed time,
c. Total time in target heart rate zone,
d. Average heart rate for workout.

Timex Chrono Alarm Timer
a. Midsize style fits smaller wrists
b. Sport watch and heart rate monitor
c. Target heart rate zone alarms
d. Display with flipping system for easy reading of heart rate and elapsed time

1440 Series
The 1440 Sports Personal Heart Rate Monitor provides for all those interested in personal fitness with a watch and a heart rate monitor

Music and Heart Rate -

Editor — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 05:08:17 +0000

Knowing about Heart Rate Variability -

The variability in the heart rate is usually measured in terms of 'Heart Rate Variability' (HRV in short). The time series of beat-to-beat intervals from ECG or arterial pressure tracings are analyzed and then HRV can be calculated.

How does music influence Heart Rate Variability?

Three kinds of music and noise are considered to study their influence on the heart rate variability and comfort when listened to them. Studies have been conducted on the effect of music on the heart. Relaxing (slow) music like Bach, Vividly or Mozart effected a considerable reduction in the heart rate and also the heart rate variability. When two pieces of classical music, rock music and noise were used, researches conclude that Classical Music creates a small variance in Mayer Wave related Sinus Arrhythmia (MWSA) and Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA) components as compared to when the body is at rest, by suppressing sympathetic nerve, whereas Rock Music and Noise result in the increase of MWSA component and decrease in the RSA component. Clearly, Classical Music provides more comfort as against the other two forms and there is a correlation between the balance of MWSA and RSA components and the psychological evaluation. The variance of MWSA decreased as comfort increased and vice-versa.

Is music good for the heart?

The studies say yes. The researches show that slow, relaxing types of music can actually improve the heart's performance as they have a calming, soothing effect on the heart rate and breathing. The study conducted on a group of 24 people where each of them listened to each type of music for two minutes followed by two minutes of silence and again four minutes of music and breathing, heart rate and blood pressure were measured before and after those music sessions. Fast music causes increased breathing and heart rates. Heart rate, breathing rate and blood pressure drop when the music stops even lower than what they started at.

Effects of Music Therapy on Post-Operative Pain, Heart Rate and Systolic Blood Pressures

In case of heart diseases, high post-operative pain leads to adverse effects leading to late recovery and prolonged hospitalization. Music is an effective form of distraction to relieve the patients from the post-operative pain. Experiments show that when the music was played intermittently and the pain intensity measured in terms of Pain Verbal Rating Scales (VRS), the group that listened to music showed considerable drop in the pain intensity and the systolic blood pressure and heart rate and had lesser oral analgesics for the pain. So, overall, it can be concluded that music therapy is an effective approach for post-operative pain management.

Increased heart rate:

Editor — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 07:04:49 +0000

What is heart rate?

Very simply, your heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute. You can measure your heart rate by feeling your pulse – the rhythmic expansion and contraction (or throbbing) of an artery as blood is forced through it by the regular contractions of the heart. It is a measure of how hard your heart is working. Your pulse can be felt at the wrist, neck, groin or top of the foot – areas where the artery is close to the skin. Most commonly, people measure their pulse in their wrist. This is called the radial pulse.

Increased heart rate good or bad:

The cardiovascular fitness inevitably includes discussions of heart rate and the need for individuals to increase theirs to the all-important training zone. However, while experts encourage us to increase our heart rates during aerobic exercise, they are also quick to warn of the dangers associated with a resting heart rate that is too high. Sound contradictory? Actually, there are sound physiological reasons why an increased heart rate is advantageous during exercise yet undesirable when the body is at rest. While you exercise, your heart beats faster to pump more blood (which contains important oxygen, fluids and nutrients) to the working muscles. High resting heart rate (more than 85 beats per minute), on the other hand, often indicates medical problems, such as a weak heart that is struggling to do its job or thyroid complications. If you have a high resting heart rate, exercise may be a practical prescription. However, you should always check with your physician before beginning an exercise program. It should be noted that feelings of a fast or irregular heartbeat could be brought on through excessive use of caffeine or alcohol and/or smoking. Should you experience any symptoms related to a fast heartbeat or palpitation, especially if associated with a feeling of faintness, medical advice should be sought. In strengthening your heart muscle, aerobic exercise trains your heart to pump more blood with every stroke increasing your cardiac output up to eight times its resting capacity. Ultimately, your heart becomes more efficient at delivering oxygen and draining metabolic waste products away. Best of all, this improved efficiency is sustained even after exercise, translating into a lower resting heart rate.

Normal resting heart rate:

Editor — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 09:46:00 +0000

Types of heart rates:

A heart rate is a count of heart beats in a minute. Heart rate affects the functioning of heart. A normal heart rate indicates a healthy cardiovascular system. Many factors such as heart diseases, physical activity, stress or heart disorders can cause high heart rate. There are three types of heart rates that can be measured at different activity levels that show proper functioning of the heart. One is the normal resting heart rate, second is the working heart rate and last is the recovery heart rate. These heart rates determine and help the control of stress or activities to bring the count of heart rate to normal to ensure good health.

Normal resting heart rate:

The heart rate measured when you are sitting quietly for a while or when your heart is beating normally just after having a good sleep or in a relaxed position is known as normal resting heart rate. The normal resting heart rate is less than 84 bpm or in other words it is 15 to 20 bpm less than your normal heart rate. Normal resting heart rates vary from person to person. The best time to calculate normal resting heart rate is just before you get out of your bed in the morning after a good night's sleep. The heart rate adapts to changes in the body's need for oxygen during exercise or sleep. A resting heart rate can also rise and fall especially with age. A resting heart rate is also used to calculate an athlete's training target heart rate. These athletes use their resting heart rate counts to determine if they are over training. Physically fit athletes have lower resting heart rates. Also a person who is in good aerobic condition has a lower resting heart rate.

Measuring heart rate:

Normal resting heart rate can be measured by keeping an index and middle finger on one side of the neck and pressing gently to get the count of heart beats. Or else it can also be measured by using any heart rate monitors that vary in brands and models. Although sometimes no symptoms can occur to cause changes in heart rate, it is better to know your resting heart rate. Any changes in this heart rate can help you treat the cause and avoid future complications of the heart.

High Heart Rate and Low Blood Pressure -

Editor — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 08:50:29 +0000

Quick review of both the terms – Heart Rate and Blood Pressure -

The rate at which the heart expands and contracts every minute is measured in terms of Beats Per Minute (BPM) and is used to evaluate a person's general health.

The pressure that the blood exerts on the walls of the arteries while pumped by the heart is termed as 'Blood Pressure' and is expressed as a ratio. Normally, it is 120/80 where the first number represents the pressure at which the heart pumps the blood into the arteries and the second number represents the pressure when the heart is resting.

Low Blood Pressure also known as 'Hypotension' is a condition in which the blood pressure drops below the normal level (below 90/60).

How are Heart Rate and Blood pressure related to each other?

Blood Pressure is usually depends on – Heart Rate, Nervous system (hormones) and the stroke volume.

1) As the heart rate increases, the blood pressure too goes up and it comes down as the heart rate drops.

2) Other things like the nervous system, body temperature, hormones, medications and diseases affect the heart rate and indirectly the blood pressure.

3) The Stroke Volume (the amount of blood pumped by the heart out of the ventricle at each beat) is the same as the amount of blood carried back to the heart by the veins while at rest. When the body is under stress, the nervous system increases the stroke volume by making the heart pump harder.

More on High Heart Rate and Low Blood Pressure -

Hypotension may be caused due to -

1) Conditions causing reduction in blood volume.
2) Reduction in the amount of blood pumped by the heart.
3) Medications.

The first category would include dehydration, moderate or severe bleeding and severe inflammation of body organs as other causes. The causes in the second category can be listed as weakened heart muscle, pericarditis, pulmonary embolism, a slow heart rate (bradycardia) and a high heart rate (tachycardia). The third category includes medications such as calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, digoxin to name a few.

How does a High Heart Rate (tachycardia) cause low blood pressure?

A common example of Tachycardia causing low blood pressure is 'Atrial Fibrillation', a heart disorder where rapid, irregular electrical discharges from the heart muscle cause the ventricles to contract irregularly and rapidly. The ventricles would not have sufficient time to fill maximum blood before each contraction, so there is a decrease in the amount of blood pumped, in spite of high heart rate. Hypotension can also be caused by abnormally high heart rate such as 'Ventricular Tachycardia'.

Nike heart rate monitor

Editor — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 02:17:00 +0000

If you want a Heart Rate Monitor that is not too complex, but can also be worn as an eye-catching sports watch, the Nike Heart Rate monitor is just for you. The Nike Heart Rate Monitor is a water defiant sports watch with nonstop heart rate monitoring. The Nike HRM also provides the wearer with a synopsis of total exercise time passing through a simple to operate chronograph. These units are heart rate companionable with most popular makes of CV gym equipment. It features every part of the standard watch functions, plus an ECG accurate heart rate monitor with heart zone alarms. If you do not want to be confused with too many bells and whistles and just want the indispensable heart rate zone alarm, with memory recall, the Nike heart rate monitor is the ideal Heart Rate Monitor for you. The Nike C series are average sized and will fit for the most part of female and male wrist sizes.

Features and specifications

The different functions of a Nike heart rate monitor are: Time of Day, Current Heart Rate (ECG accurate), Duration of Exercise, Self Change batteries, Wireless chest band with self change battery. Some advanced models of Nike heart rate monitor also includes Day/date, Daily alarm, 1 x Heart Rate Zones, Water resistant to 50m, Recalls exercise time, time in HR zone and average heart rate for the total session, Ergonomic Chest Transmitter, Mineral glass crystal. There is more to a Nike heart rate monitor of much advanced form. It has features having: Graphical representation of heart rate over a 1 hour period, Personal zone test; a 15 minute self test that determines your personalized target,

Compatible to use

The Nike heart rate monitor is the perfect partner for the indoor and outdoor cardio exerciser. The person who is exercising although need to know they are doing it correct. It has been planned to be straightforward to operate with just the amount of response you want to see. You can decide whether if you want to see calories burnt, current Heart Rate zone, present heart rate or exercise time, the Nike heart rate monitor remembers your preference and simply shows you what you want to see.

Max heart rate:

Editor — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 01:07:58 +0000

Maximum heart rate generally declines with age from about 220 beats per minute in childhood to about 160 beats per minute at age 60. This fall in heart rate is fairly linear decreasing by approximately 1 beat per minute per year. There is no strong evidence to suggest that training influences the decline in max heart rate. It should be remembered that individuals of the same age might have quite different max heart rates-therefore it is more accurate to calculate this value by undergoing a stress-test than by using an age-related formula, resting heart rate is greatly influenced by endurance training.

What determines this max rate?

It is mostly hereditary. You seem to be able to affect your lower rate with training somewhat but the max seems to be fixed until you get older. So you can see how important it is to know our own individual max rate. I can't stress too much the importance of training with a monitor. Training without one is like trying to have sex with all your clothes on. You will eventually get the job done if persistent but it will take longer, be less enjoyable and you'll wind up with a mess in the end. The variable when doing this test will be your fitness level. What I've found is that it is almost better to be out of shape than super fit. Your max is your max, whether or not you're fit. If you're out of shape you will hit it very early on the treadmill and will be spared some of the torture. If you're fit it will take minutes more and more time suffering but you will eventually get there. Now that you have your own personal max number, you can begin to use some of the training formulas out there.

Best to use monitor

Now when you are climbing a long grade in a pack with your training buddies, you won't ask that what is your heart rate but what percentage of your max are you working at. It's the old apples and oranges comparison–you have to focus on the relevant numbers. What we found is that it doesn't matter if you have a high or low max. Don't worry what your number comes out to be. There are world-class athletes at both ends of the spectrum and in between.

Heart rate monitor:

Editor — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 15:21:50 +0000

The heart rate monitor is a component or a device that permits a user to scrutinize or monitor their heart rate whilst exercising. It generally consists of two elements, a chest strap and a wrist receiver. The wrist receiver usually doubles as a watch. The heart rate monitors without straps are also available as well, which do not require a chest strap, but lack some of the functionality of the original design. Highly developed models furthermore measure heart rate variability to assess the fitness of the user.

History of heart rate monitor:

Polar Electro Oy was the inventor of the first EKG accurate wireless heart rate monitor. This was done way back in 1977 as a training tool for the Finnish National Cross Country Ski Team. The notion of intensity training by heart rate swept the athletic world in the eighties. By the 1990's people were looking to heart rate monitors not only for performance preparation needs, but also for achieving daily fitness goals. In the present day, the same idea of heart rate training is being used by world-class athletes as well as everyday people trying to lose heaviness.

The Australian physicist, Robert Treffene was the inventor of the heart rate monitor. He appeared on the television show The New Inventors which showcased Robert Treffene with his device. This device (heart rate monitor) was made with swimmers in mind.

Construction and functioning:

Some electrodes are contained in the chest strap, which are in contact with the skin to monitor the electrical voltages in the heart. One can refer to the branch of electrocardiography for more details in the subject. When a heart beat is spotted a radio signal is sent out which the receiver uses to establish the current heart rate. More costly monitors send coding signals from the chest strap, this prevent wrist receiver of a user from receiving signals from other nearby exercisers. There are a extensive number of receiver designs, with all sorts of sophisticated features. These include standard heart rate over exercise period, time in a detailed heart rate zone, food energy burned, and detailed logging that can be downloaded to a personal computer.

High heart rate:

Editor — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 21:19:05 +0000

The heart rate is a term used to describe the frequency of the cardiac cycle. It is considered one of the four vital signs. Usually it is calculated as the number of contractions (heart beats) of the heart in one minute and expressed as "beats per minute" (bpm). Heart for information on embryo fetal heart rates. When resting, the adult human heart beats at about 70 bpm (males) and 75 bpm (females), but this rate varies between people. However, the reference range is nominally between 60 bpm (if less termed bradycardia) and 100 bpm (if greater, termed tachycardia). The Resting heart rates can be significantly lower in athletes, and significantly higher in the obese.

The body can increase the heart rate in response to a wide variety of conditions in order to increase the cardiac output (the amount of blood ejected by the heart per unit time). Exercise, environmental stressors or psychological stress can cause the heart rate to increase above the resting rate. The pulse is the most straightforward way of measuring the heart rate, but it can be deceptive when some strokes do not lead to much cardiac output. In these cases (as happens in some arrhythmias), the heart rate may be considerably higher than the pulse.

Heart rate variability

Heart rate variability is the variation of beat-to-beat intervals. A healthy heart has a large HRV, while decreased or absent variability may indicate cardiac disease. HRV also decreases with exercise-induced tachycardia. The One aspect of the heart rate variability can be used as a measurement of fitness, specifically the speed at which one's heart rate drops upon termination of vigorous exercise. The speed, at which a person's heart rate which returns to resting, is faster for a fit person than an unfit person. A drop of 20 beats in a minute is typical for a healthy person.

Heart rate abnormalities:

Tachycardia
The Tachycardia is a resting heart rate more than 101 beats per minute.

Bradycardia
The Bradycardia is defined as a heart rate less than 60 beats per minute although it is seldom symptomatic until below 50 bpm. Trained athletes tend to have slow resting heart rates, and resting bradycardia in athletes should not be considered abnormal if the individual has no symptoms associated with it.

Strapless Heart Rate Monitors

Editor — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 04:31:55 +0000

A heart rate monitor as the name suggests is used for monitoring the heart rate at all times of the day. A simple device that accurately measures your heart rate while you are working out or burning calories while exercising, a heart rate monitor helps to prevent overdoing any physical activity that can actually cause harm to your heart. People with heart problems also find heart rate monitors useful.

Heart Rate Monitors

Heart Rate Monitors range from simple watch-like devices to those that can transmit data to your computer while you are working out. Heart rate monitors come in a range of prices that are well suited to all pockets. Chest straps and strapless varieties of heart rate monitors are available in the market to help you decide your preference.

Strapless Heart Rate Monitors

Among the new heart rate monitors available are those that are known as strapless heart rate monitors. These are part of your wristwatch and need a circuit to monitor your heartbeat. Strapping the device to your wrist on one hand and placing two fingers of the other hand on two buttons on your heart rate monitor completes the circuit. Heart rate can then be monitored at any place and during any activity including swimming provided the chest and the hands are above the water level while monitoring heart rate.

Strapless Heart Rate Monitors at work

There is a constant need to know your heart rate while working out, exercising, burning calorie or fat while losing weight and also for those with heart related problems. Heart rate monitors are just the perfect devices for doing so without stepping into a medico's office every now and then. Strapless heart rate monitors reduce dependence on heavy equipment like ECG monitors for getting the right heart rate at any given point of time. Depending upon your age and fitness level, you can measure your heart rate accurately without exceeding the recommended levels.

Innovations in strapless heart rate monitors

Strapless heart rate monitors available today have achieved innovations like size, accuracy and even target zone reminders to help you burn that extra calorie you were always aiming at doing away with. Some of them, though costly, also help in tracking previous workouts and help comparisons better leading to better and accurate heart rate measurement every time you use a strapless heart rate monitor.

Recovery heart rate:

Editor — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 18:09:47 +0000

Heart rate:

Heart rates are monitored to indicate how the heart is working. Any changes in the heart rate can determine causes of major illness or heart diseases which need to be cured. Also heart rate monitoring helps maintain good health and proper functioning of the heart by noting the monitored figures. This ensures safety, effective workouts and a strong and healthy cardiovascular system. There are three different types of heart rates namely resting heart rate, working heart rate and recovery heart rate.

What is recovery heart rate?

A normal resting heart rate is 15 – 20 bpm slower than your usual heart rate. This fluctuates depending on the activity or other medical conditions especially during aerobic exercises or workouts. Heart rate should be measured during warm up, half way into workout, at the end of workout and at the end of cool down period. Recovery heart rate means the how quickly you return to your resting heart rate. This is calculated at the end of cool down period to ensure the benefit of exercises. Normal recovery heart rate is 120 bpm or lower.

How is recovery heart rate calculated?

Take your pulse ten seconds immediately after you have finished exercising. Write down the number. After one minute again take your pulse again and write it down. Now, subtract the number for the second pulse check from the number for the first pulse check. This number indicates your Recovery Heart Rate. If your count is 120 bpm or lower then you have a normal recovery heart rate. But if the number increases then next time your activity should be monitored to control the recovery heart rate.

Gadgets to measure heart rate:

Heart rate can be measured gently pressing one side of the neck with your index and middle finger until the pulse is felt. Each beat is counted to record the heart rate. Also you get various heart rate monitors that can calculate your heart rate automatically which makes the job even easier for you. They come in wide range and brands. You can select the one that you are comfortable with. By measuring the heart rate at different activity levels you can easily calculate the recovery heart rate.