How to Promote a Healthy Heart

Prevention of disease processes as well as regaining mobility is key to the Strive Therapy Model of Physical Therapy and Fitness. This  month we are deep diving into all things heart health and how to support the body.  During the month of February, we are paying special attention to detail on how to look at our heart during exercise and what can be done on a daily basis to improve your overall fitness while conditioning your heart.
There are a few factors that will play a role in heart health that we would be remiss not to review. Keep your weight at an ideal number to keep undue stress to the  cardiovascular system.  Focusing on proper nutrition is important to ensure the absorption of minerals  necessary for the electrical component of the heart rhythm.  Those that do not stay hydrated and eat a diet high in sugar and fats are placing more demands on the heart, as it will need to work twice as hard to pump the blood to vital organs. Lastly, Individuals who find a difficult time controlling their stress levels will also  place extra work on the heart and the nervous system. 
Moving forward on your heart health journey, it is also critical that you understand numbers and what they mean when we are discussing heart beat per minute, and how it relates to exercise.
Below will give you the basics for getting started:  
 We should all know what our numbers!

1. Resting Heart Rate= the number of times your heart beats at rest. You can find this by finding your pulse ( thumb side wrist) gently holding until you feel your beat. Count for 15 seconds then multiply by 4. The lower the rest heart rate the better. The average RHR 60-100 BPM and those of athletes and most fit 40-50 BPM
2. Maximum Heart Rate: this number tells you the upper limits of stress that your heart can handle. We can figure this out by computing an age formula. 220-age = MHR
3. Target Heart Rate: this number indicates the range that your heart is beating during exercise. This is dependent on intensity of workout and the goal of your workout.
   We should be aware of the ranges and reasons for working out 50%= of THR is for warm up for 5-8 minutes
   60-75%= of THR is best for keeping heart healthy and cardio endurance. This range keeps our body burning fat but not stealing carbs from our body. We want to maintain this for 20-30 minutes 80-90% hard core short burst. 
   

Example: 50 year old Max heart is  220-50 (age)= 170 BPM 
Target heart @ 60-75% (  moderate intensity) of Maximum heart rate
If that person wants to exercise Moderate intensity, 60-75% effort. Their target heart rate would want to range between ( 170 x .60)  (170 x.75) 102 bpm- 127.5bpm 

If you are looking to start or revamp your heart health and put more purpose to your daily habits, Strive Therapy Systems can help you. Here at Strive, our Therapy model works to educate people with proper posture, breathing technique and corrective movement patterns to stay pain free and moving.  We offer various therapeutic classes with emphasis in strength and cardio for a healthy system.