How to check your Heart Rate

What is your resting Heart Rate?

Your resting heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute whilst you are not active. The best time to measure this is actually first thing in the morning before you have eaten anything and before you have encountered anything that might raise it (i.e. you start being active or getting excited / stressed!).

Your resting heart rate will decrease as your fitness increases - so it’s a good way to track your progress if your goal is to get more fit. You will also notice that it increases if your immune system is low i.e. you might be about to get sick, have an infection that your body is fighting against or just need some more rest after a night out or a heavy training session.

How do I measure it?

Put a watch or a timer next to your bed before you go to sleep. Then in the morning, place your index and middle finger on your neck just besides your windpipe until you feel your pulse. Once you feel it, look at your watch or timer for 30 seconds and count the number of beats. Times this by 2 to get your beats per minute (bpm). Feel free to use the HR monitor of your sports watch if you happen to have one.

Monitoring it regularly will increase your body awareness. Remember to measure it in the same way at roughly the same time to make sure you are consistent.