Pulse Rate

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Pulse Rate

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What is pulse?

• Each time your heart beats it forces a surge of
  blood through your arteries. This surge is
  called your pulse.

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What is pulse rate?

• The speed or rate at which your heart beats
  changes constantly depending on what type
  activity a person is doing.
• The measurement of the rate at which a persons
  heartbeats is their pulse rate.

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Why is pulse rate important?

• Medical
• Used to monitor health conditions
• Used to help diagnose health problems such as
  high blood pressure and heart disease
• Fitness
• Provides information about fitness level
• Personal health

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Where is my pulse?

• The vessels that carry blood from the heart are
  called arteries.
• The arteries on the side of your neck and on your
  wrists are near the surface of your skin.
• At these points you can feel the surge from your
  heart, your pulse.

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Find your pulse.

• Find your pulse at your neck or at your wrist.
• Neck
• Place the index and middle finger just to the
  side of the Adams apple or esophagus.
• Press firmly with flat fingers until you feel a
  pulse.
• Wrist
• Place the index and middle finger to the side of
  the artery on the underside of the opposite
  wrist.
• Press firmly with flat fingers until you feel a
  pulse.

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Measure your pulse rate.

• Find your pulse.
• Count your beats for 30 seconds.
• Multiply your total beats by 2.
• This will give you your beats per minute which is
  your pulse rate.

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Maximum Pulse Rate

• Do you remember what affects your pulse rate?
• Activity
• The more active you are, the faster your pulse
  rate will be.
• For safety reasons, no ones pulse rate should
  exceed their maximum pulse rate.

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Finding Maximum Pulse Rate

• Formula for calculating maximum pulse rate
• 220- ____ (your age)
  ____

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Target Pulse Rate

• Ideally, when doing physical activity your pulse
  rate should be at 60 of your maximum pulse rate.
• What is 60 of your maximum pulse rate?
• (maximum pulse rate) x .60 ____