What Factors Can Affect Heart
Several factors can affect HRV, including age, sex, sleep quality, stress, and lifestyle choices, such as nutrition and exercise.
Fitbit Charge 5, Fitbit Sense, and Fitbit Versa 3 notify you when we detect that your heart rate is outside of your high or low thresholds while you appear to be inactive for at least 10 minutes.
What Are The Different Training Zones
A heart rate training zone is a range that defines the intensity of your training. The upper and lower boundaries of each zone are calculated using your maximum heart rate which also depends on your age.
Moderate Activity : 50-60% of HRmax. This is the most comfortable training zone. It is primarily used to warm-up and to recover after a more intense zone. It strengthens your heart and improves muscle mass while it reduces body fat, cholesterol, blood pressure, and your risk for degenerative disease.
Weight Control : 60-70% of HRmax. This is the best zone for burning fat. It gives you all the benefits of the moderate activity zone but with increased intensity. 85% of calories burned in this zone are from fat.
Aerobic : 70-80% of HRmax. Aerobic exercise makes your lungs work harder as your bodys need for oxygen increases. This zone improves your cardiovascular and respiratory systems. It also increases the size and strength of your heart. More calories are burned in this zone but only 50% of the calories come from fat.
Anaerobic : 80-90% of HRmax. Training in this zone improves your athletic performance. Only 15% of the calories burned in this zone come from fat.
Instant Heart Rate: Hr Monitor
Screenshots of the Instant Heart Rate Android app.
This app is a favorite of heart rate researchers . Like Cardiio, this heart rate monitor is free to use, but nearly everything else is behind a subscription paywall .
It’s not cheap, but what you get access to is pretty substantial: goal-based health programs like “Lose Weight” and “Get Active,” a food log, healthy recipes, step challenges, manual sleep tracking, and more. Syncs with Apple Health and Fit.
Price: Free for iOS and Android with in-app purchases $1.99 for Windows
Also Check: How Much Does Heart Surgery Cost
What Should Your Heart Rate Be
Heart rate norms are based primarily on age rather than gender, although men tend to have slightly lower heart rates than women.
The ideal resting heart rate for adults is 60 to 100 bpm. Very fit individuals such as athletes may have resting heart rates below 60 bpm.
Target heart rates can be used to maximize the efficiency of your workouts, as well as to keep you safe. Typically, exercising at 60 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate is most beneficial.
Exercising at the lower end of this percentage or doing interval training is ideal for fat burning. Exercising at the higher end is ideal for building cardiovascular strength.
To calculate your estimated maximum heart rate, you can use the equation of subtracting your age from 220. For example, if youre 45, then your approximate maximum heart rate is 175 bpm .
You can then use your maximum heart rate to determine what your target heart rate is while exercising.
The chart below shows estimated maximum and target heart rates for various age groups:
| Age |
Starting From Maximum Heart Rate
Your maximum heart rate is relatively stable and declines slowly as you get older. This is different from your resting heart rate, which reflects changes in fitness, recovery status and dietary choices.
If you already know your maximum heart rate, simply enter your maximum heart rate in the user profile settings of your device or in the Garmin Connect app. If you dont know your maximum heart rate, it will be automatically estimated by using the common formula of 220 minus your current age.
This formula for estimating maximum heart rate is utilized in guidelines from the American Society of Sports Medicine, which notes that while more complicated formulas exist, alternatives have not proven to be universally more reliable in practical usage4. According to this method, a 42-year-old person would have an estimated maximum heart rate of 178 bpm . Your maximum heart rate is likely within +/-12 bpm of this estimated value.
Estimating your maximum heart rate is a good place to start. However, knowing your own maximum heart rate and using it to personalize your heart rate zones unlocks the full potential of this training tool.
A variety of test protocols exist to determine your own personal maximum heart rate. You may also encounter your personal maximum heart rate during especially vigorous workouts that include sustained maximum-intensity efforts or during 5K/10K race events.
Don’t Miss: Can Anxiety Cause Heart Palpitations
A Higher Resting Heart Rate Can Be Concerning
Several studies have confirmed that the higher your resting heart rate, the greater your risk of death. Most of this risk is due to heart disease, but other causes of death also contribute to the risk. One study showed that a RHR of more than 90 beats per minute was associated with higher heart disease death rates .
Your Maximum Heart Rate
The maximum heart rate is the upper limit in which your heart can handle during physical exercise. Your maximum heart rate occurs when you body is under stress and working hard. This means that your oxygen needs are high, demanding your heart to work faster. Those who have a high aerobic capacity are considered to be at a lower risk for heart attack or death. It is recommended that you know your maximum heart rate or zone when working out to get the most out of your aerobic activity. Your Maximum Heart Rate is roughly calculated as 220 minus your age. Additionally, it is recommended that you exercise within 55 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate for at least 20 to 30 minutes to get the best results from aerobic exercise.
Now that you better understand the new fitness trackers measurements, you can begin pushing limits you never knew existed. Whether youre trying to optimize your resting heart rate, or maximum heart rate, you should always strive for improvement.
If you have any questions please post them below! I would love to learn about how your fitness tracker has or hasnt helped to improve your life.
Recommended Reading: Does Melatonin Slow Your Heart Rate
Finding Your Maximum Heart Rate
If you’re just starting your fitness journey, it’s probably too early to dig into your heart-rate data. Any form of physical activity that gets you off the couch and gets your heart pumping above your baseline is progress. But eventually, understanding your heart rate can help you stay focused on your long-term fitness goals, like losing weight or increasing your speed.
Most importantly, heart rate can help you answer the question, “Are my workouts effective?” To find that answer, you’ll need to first figure out your maximum heart rate.
Related:Does Orangetheory Fitness work for muscle toning and fat loss?
Maximum heart rate is the upper limit of what your cardiovascular system can handle during physical activity, according to the Mayo Clinic. This number isn’t always straightforward, because there are other factors to consider — including gender — but for a very basic calculation, subtract your age from 220. For example, if you’re 30 years old, your MHR would be 220 – 30 = 190 bpm.
Tracking Heart Rate For Training Purposes
The information Ive given you so far is like a general guide to tracking your heart rate. Think of it as a safety guide.
However, if you go more in-depth with tracking heart rate, you can then use it as a tool to meet your fitness goals.
I get it for the non-athlete that sounds like a lot of work. Relax! Its not. You just need to turn tracking into a habit, and it will become a natural part of your routine.
To use heart rate tracking as a training tool, youll need to know about the five heart rate zones as well as aerobic and anaerobic thresholds. Here is a breakdown of these points.
Read Also: How Are Hypertension Heart Disease And Stroke Related
What Type Of Results Do You Get And What Do The Results Mean
Depending on the device youre using, the results might have slightly different meanings.
- Electrical-detection devices: These are the only devices that truly detect your heart rate. Thats because they are picking up the electrical activity of your heart itself.
- Optical-detection devices: These devices detect your pulse rate, not your heart rate.
Regardless of whether or not they measure your heart rate or your pulse rate, the results try to convey the same thing: How many times your heart beats per minute. Depending on the device, they may also measure and display other metrics, like heart rate variability. Some also use apps that offer you that data in ways that you can tailor to your uses and needs.
Heart Rate Monitor Features
Basic HRM models time your workout and give you continuous, average, high and low heart rate data, as well as the high, low and target heart rate reached during your workout. Many models can be partnered with a foot pod that attaches to your shoelaces to track your speed, distance and cadence.
Other models have GPS receiver capabilities to track speed and distance, also providing elevation and navigation functionality. The most advanced models have an extensive and ever-growing array of features.
Target zones: Basic models offer up to 3 target zones advanced models have from 3 to 6 target zones. With the capacity for multiple target zones, you can preprogram your heart rate monitor for a series of different workouts . If your HRM offers only a single aerobic target zone, you’ll need to reprogram it every time you want to change the exercise parameters.
Sport watch: Heart rate monitor watch models include features such as a clock, alarm, countdown timer and calendar.
Stopwatch and lap/split times: After each lap at a track or every mile on a marked-distance race course, hit the “Lap” button to see how your pace has changed throughout your workout or race .
Recovery heart rate mode: Tracks the time it takes your heart to return to its normal, resting rate. It’s a good indicator of cardiovascular fitness and especially important if your workouts include sprints or interval training.
Don’t Miss: What Is Normal Resting Heart Rate By Age
How To Choose The Best Heart Rate Monitor Watch
With so many options available, it can be daunting to choose a reliable heart rate monitor watch.
The Fitbit Versa is our top pick, as it features 24/7 heart rate monitoring, which tracks your heart health over time and always displays your current heart rate, whether youre resting or exercising.
Furthermore, it shows your metrics on the main screen so that you dont have to navigate elsewhere.
Still, you may want to consider other factors like cost, customer reviews, and features.
Note that very few smartwatches only measure your heart rate. Most connect to your phone, and many offer features for athletes, such as GPS and activity tracking, or people with heart or lung problems, such as blood pressure and oxygen saturation monitoring.
Alternatively, if youre looking for the most accurate heart rate readings possible for example, to help manage your heart condition consider a chest monitor. This device straps around your chest and is much more precise than a smartwatch (
6 ).
In particular, an elevated heart rate can also be a risk factor for future health issues, including heart disease and stroke .
Versa 2 Stopped Tracking My Heart Rate
- Float this Topic for Current User
08-07-202110:31 – last edited on 08-07-202114:30 by
08-07-202110:31 – last edited on 08-07-202114:30 by
I have had my versa 2 for 18 months now and been great but a few weeks ago the heart rate tracker stopped recording.
Any ideas why this is and how it can be fixed??
Fitbit Community Moderators Learn more
Hi there, @GordonN. Welcome to the Community Forums. Thanks for the details provided in your post. I understand where your concern is coming from.
As a first approach, I’d recommend following the steps below:
- Switch the Heart Rate settings from On to Off and manually sync your watch. To switch the heart rate settings on your watch, from the main screen of your watch, swipe left until you see “Settings”, next swipe up until you see “Heart Rate” and switch it to Off.
- Once it’s done, manually sync your Versa 2. To do so, open the Fitbit app, tap on the Account icon, tap on your Versa 2’s image and tap on “Sync Now”
- Next, switch it from Off to On and manually sync your watch once again.
- Once it’s done, restart your watch.
- Next, confirm that your tracker is snug on your wrist We also recommend when you’re not exercising, wear the tracker just above the wrist bone.
Hi there, @GordonN. Welcome to the Community Forums. Thanks for the details provided in your post. I understand where your concern is coming from.
As a first approach, I’d recommend following the steps below:
Also Check: What Should Your Heart Rate Be When Working Out
What Causes The Changes In My Heart Rate During The Day
Demand to your muscles
Your heart rate mainly changes in response to the demands of your muscles during daily activities. For example, your heart has to pump harder when youre cycling than when youre sitting down because your heart delivers the oxygen and energy nutrients that your muscles need in order to provide more energy for your activities through your bloodstream.
Stress and emotions
Other reasons that cause changes in your heart rate can also be stress and emotions. For example, excitement can raise your heart rate. If you are competing athlete, you probably see elevated heart rate before the race and during it. The nervousness or anxiety that you feel before competitions seems to push your heart rate up. Your body’s natural hormones prepare you to the challenge.
Sleep
During sleep, your heart rate normally slows due to the complex regulatory mechanisms in your body. There is no standard range for heart rate during sleep, because it is affected by your age, sex, cardiovascular fitness level and medications.
Your heart rate also fluctuates over the course of night. The changes in your heart rate during a typical nights sleep partly reflect the changes in the depth of your sleep.
What Are Heart Rate Zones Used For
Once you are aware of these zones, they can be used to guide you toward more effective training. Most training programmes will use these zones to differentiate between types of workout to achieve your chosen aims.
While many think about increasing speed by running faster, a balanced training programme will include things like low intensity recovery runs. Here, it’s not about hitting those high zones, but spending time in the lower zones that’s important.
This is why heart rate training is important – because it can just as easily tell you when you’re working too hard, as well as when you’re not working hard enough. For example, many beginner runners will run at a heart rate that’s really high. This can often be unsustainable – and running slower would be better for them, allowing them to enjoy the run, lower the impact and reduce recovery time.
There are free workouts you can choose from most of the major platforms – and many other resources online – but if you’re opting to use something like a Garmin or Polar device, you’ll find that they have training programmes suggesting types of workout that often directly relate to those heart rate zones above.
Recommended Reading: What Distinguishes A Heart Attack From Heart Failure
How To Track Your Heart Rate With Only Your Smartphone
You don’t need a heart rate monitor or smartwatch to take your pulse — these three apps can do it with your phone.
Danielle Kosecki
Danielle Kosecki is an award-winning journalist who has covered health and fitness for 15 years. She’s written for Glamour, More, Prevention and Bicycling magazines, among others, and is the editor of The Bicycling Big Book of Training. A New York native, Danielle now lives in Oakland where she doesn’t miss winter at all.
Tracking your heart rate can be a great way to monitor your heart health, and thanks to smartphones, it’s never been easier. A variety of apps can leverage your phone’s camera to measure your heart rate without any kind of heart rate strap or other accessory.
Here’s how they work and three apps worth trying.
Read more:Heart-rate tracking is the secret to getting fit. Here’s how to use it | What should your resting heart rate be? | This might be the number-one way to track your fitness
Best For Blood Pressure Monitoring: Omron Heartguide
According to Omron, this watch is the first to offer a clinically accurate blood pressure monitor. It can also track movements and exercise and measure sleep quality. Additionally, the app can sync with other data for extra health insights.
People can expect to charge the watch 23 times a week.
Price: The Omron HeartGuide is available online for $499.
Don’t Miss: What Side Of The Heart Has Oxygenated Blood
Learn What Is A Normal Heart Rate And How To Find Your Pulse With Your Fingers Or A Device
Measuring your heart rate is any easy way to gauge your health, as it provides a real-time snapshot of your heart muscle function. For most adults, a normal resting heart ratethe number of heartbeats per minute while at restranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute. A normal heart rate can vary from person to person. However, an unusually high or low resting heart rate can be a sign of trouble.