Resting Heart Rate

It is important to take a measurement of your heart rate when you are resting. The best time to do this is first thing in the morning before you get up.

You need to take a measurement in seconds so find an appropriate watch or clock.

When you take you heart beat there are two places it can be found, on the side of the neck or the wrist. The Radial artery (wrist) and Carotid artery (neck) pass in those places.

When looking for the pulse in the wrist place your fingertips (not thumb - it has its own pulse) on the underside of the wrist and move them around till you feel a beat. (See picture), if looking in the neck, draw a line down from the base of the ear to the top of the breastbone.

Keep an eye on your watch whilst counting the number of beats in 15 seconds. Multiply this figure by four. This allows you to get the number of beats per minute (sixty seconds). The result should be somewhere in between 50-100 beats per minute.

Check the top two tables.

Then take your pulse the same way for 15 seconds after 3 minutes of exercise. For example you could go to the bottom of your stairs at home and step up and down on the bottom step for three minutes or try it at the gym using one of the cardiovascular machines, (ask the staff).

After you have completed the exercise wait 30 seconds then take your pulse again. Using the same procedure to work out your active pulse. Use the bottom two tables to assess your active heart rate.