50 year old resting heart rate

50 year old resting heart rate

A resting heart rate is the number of times a person’s heart will beat in one minute while they are at rest.

While this measurement plays a large role in indicating whether someone is healthy or not, it also depends greatly on a variety of factors, including body size and age, which is why a 50 year old resting heart rate will likely not be the same as someone who is in their early 20’s.

The Heart as a Muscle

You probably know that the more you work your muscles, the stronger they will become and since your heart is a muscle, it needs a good workout too. The stronger and fitter a heart is, the harder it will work and this means only good things for your body.

Get To Know Your Heart

While most people are faintly aware of their heart at times, experts believe that getting to know your heart really well can go a long way in helping you to get fit. By keeping a close watch on a 50 year old resting heart rate, you can actually monitor your fitness level, and what is more, it might actually give you the chance to spot a health problem long before it becomes apparent anywhere else.

Measuring a Heart Rate

The simplest way to measure a 50 year old resting heart rate is by placing two fingers (not including the thumb, since this appendage has its own heart beat) on the side of your neck, or alternatively, on your wrist. Count the number of beats for a period of 20 seconds and then times that number by 3 to get the number of beats per minute.

Since you want to measure a 50 year old resting heart rate, you will want to do this once you have been at rest for a period of time. It might be best to measure the bpm just after you have woken up.

Anyone who wants to find out their maximum heart rate can do so by working out the following equation 208 – (0.75 x age). Age refers to the age of the individual over 40, who is looking to work out their maximum heart rate. This calculation should aid in helping you determine whether you need to take action to lower your heart rate.

Factors that Can Affect Your Heart Rate

The fitter you are, the lower your heart rate is going to be because your heart doesn’t have to work nearly as hard in order to get the job done. With that being said, there are a variety of other factors that could affect your heart rate, including certain medications. For this, and many other reasons, it is important to get to know those aspects of your lifestyle that might impact on your heart rate, so that you can take them into consideration when conducting this measurement.

Being heart healthy begins with getting to know your heart like a good friend – after all, taking care of it will only work in your favour now, and in the long run.

Author

  • Stephen

    Stephen is now retired. He spent 25 years in community welfare and is one of the co-founders of life over 50. He has a keen interest in everything concerning this special age group.....and makes valuable contributions to the site. In his spare time, he enjoys photography, cycling and gardening. Also a keen jazz music lover!


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