Recommended Pulse Rate For Adults Over 50 – On And Off An Elliptical
Knowing your pulse or heart rate can be helpful regardless of your age, though more often so for adults over 50. Monitoring your heart rate can help you identify problems with your cardiovascular health before they become problems, and it can also be useful when you are tracking your workout progress. You will be able to see where your training was intensive enough to cause a rise in your heart rate, along with places in your workout that might not be challengening enough.
To help adults over 50, and everyone else accurately track their pulse many ellipticals come with a convenient fuction that automatically tracks heart rate. According to the American Heart Association (AHA) the average pulse for adults over 50 is 60 to 100 bpm (beats per minute) when they are resting, but this will also depend on their overall physical health. Your target heart rate when you are working out will vary, but the AHA has created a simple and helpful formula to help you figure out your own.
The AHA states that an adult’s target zone is 50 to 85 percent of their maximum heart rate and in order to find what yours is you will want to subtract your age from 220. This means that a 50 year old adults will follow this simple formula.
220 – 50 = 170
170 x 0.50 = 85 bpm
170 x 0.85 = 144.5 bpm
This means that if you want to get the most benefits out of your elliptical workout you will want your heart rate to stay between 85 to 144.5 bpm.
While this formula is an effective way to find your target heart zone, it is always recommended that you first speak with your health care provider before you start any type of workout program. This is especially true for adults over 50 who might be dealing with health problems.
Lowering a High Pulse Rate
Pulse rates can spike in anyone, regardless of their age. However, it can be particularly dangerous when it occurs in adults over 50. There are several reasons why a pulse rate can increase that includes over doing it on an elliptical trainer. Slowly sitting down and taking long deep breaths will usually bring a pulse rate back to optimal range. If this keeps occurring when you’re on an elliptical, it is recommended that you immediately speak with your primary health care provider.
Conditions that Can Cause High Pulse Rates
There are several health conditions that can result in abnormally high pulse rates. Arrhythmia will cause the heart to beat too fast, slow or irregularly. The National Institutes of Health describe Tachycardia as a condition when the resting heart rate is over 100 bpm. If your heart rate reaches 150 bpm or higher you have a supraventricular tachycardia and you should seek immediate medical attention. If the heart rate is below 60 bpm you might have a condition known as bradycardia. It is often caused by cardiovascular disease or a heart attack.
High Heart Rate and High Blood Pressure
It is important not to confuse high blood pressure with having a high heart rate. Your pulse rate is the number of times a heart beats in a minute, while blood pressure is measured by the force of blood against the arterial walls.
Medical experts state that there is not a direct link between heart rate and blood pressure. One can be high while the other stays within the “normal” range. Exercising on an elliptical should raise your heart rate, especially if you are trying to burn fat and calories. However it shouldn’t cause your blood pressure to signifcantly rise.
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