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What is Resting Heart Rate & How Can You Improve It?

Resting Heart Rate

If you want to know more about heart health, your Resting Heart Rate can tell you a lot! As we all know, our heart is responsible for providing blood and oxygen to each and every organ in the body and if there is any trouble in the heart, automatically the rest of the body will be impacted too.

What is Resting Heart Rate?

Resting heart rate (RHR) is known as your base or lowest heart rate. It can be defined as the number of times your heart beats per minute while you’re resting or not active. The normal resting heart rate reading should be in between 60 to 100 beats per minute (BPM). The term use for a heart rate below 60 bpm is called Bradycardia while a heart rate above 100 bpm is called Tachycardia. Usually, children tend to have a higher heart rate than adults. It is because of their faster metabolism. For a newborn, resting heart rate around 100 to 150 bpm is considered normal.

How Can You Measure It? 

Measuring heart rate is the same as checking your pulse. Currently, there are different ways to measure it – you can even measure it using your fitness tracker or band. You can also use the ancient method wherein, you place your index and middle finger on your wrist just below the thumb, or along either side of your neck, so you can feel your pulse. Remember not to use your thumb to take this measurement as it has its own pulse so you might not get the accurate measurement. Use a watch to count the number of beats for 30 seconds and double it so you will get the reading for per minute. Repeat it twice or thrice to make sure you get the accurate measurements. 

To get the proper readings, it is advised to check your resting heart rate as soon as you wake up before carrying out any other work or activity. 

Factors That Affect RHR 

Daily activities such as walking or drinking a cup of coffee, medications, hormones, body size, stress and activity level can change your resting heart rate. Some major factors include: 

  • Age
  • Lack of sleep
  • Dehydration
  • Stress
  • Obesity
  • Health conditions, lung disease and diabetes
  • Some medications like Beta blockers & calcium channels
  • Temperature
  • Exercise

Generally, lower heart rates are considered better as it shows your heart is working well with no extra effort. On the other side, a higher resting heart rate shows your heart has to work extra hard to pump blood.

Ways to Improve or Lower Heart Rate

  1. One of the reasons for increased RHR as one ages, is the lack of or less physical activity. As aging is a natural process, we can improve its impact on heart health by adding 30 minutes of walking or any other low impact exercise like cycling, swimming and dancing. Of course, your heart will beat fast during the activity and for a short time after that, but practicing it every day will automatically help in reducing your elevated resting heart rate.
  2. Guided breathing practices, yoga, tai chi, meditation, long walks and reading are all great ways to calm your mind and body, which will help in controlling your heart rate.
  3. Always try to get at least seven hours of sleep every night so your body gets sufficient time to recover from stress.
  4. Keeping yourself well hydrated helps blood flow through the body and makes the functioning of the heart easy as well. 
  5. Those who smoke have a higher RHR. Quitting brings it back down. 
  6. Keep a watch on body weight. The larger the body, the more the heart has to work to supply it with blood. Losing body weight helps in lowering elevated RHR.

It’s important to maintain an active lifestyle with regular aerobic exercise, a balanced diet, quality sleep and hydration. By measuring your resting heart rate regularly, you can see both your long-term progress and daily fluctuations in it. When your resting heart rate decreases as a result of training, it’s a sign that your cardiovascular health is improving.

We hope this article helps you make heart-healthy choices! Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below. For more on heart health, check out Healthy Reads or reach out to our certified experts by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

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Active Rest For Muscle Building

Active Rest

Yes, you heard it right. Rest is an essential part of any training program. Even when it comes to classes or work, we recognize that a few days leave can be recharging and renewing. For athletes, this can be harder, as they may feel guilty for taking a day, a week or a month off their training plan. Whether you are training for a competition or feeling extra motivated, more is not always better. Rest days are just as important as exercise. In fact, a successful fitness regimen isn’t complete without rest days.

What is Active Rest?

In terms of Rest days, there are 2 types of rest days

  • Passive Rest
  • Active Rest

Passive rest means a day of total rest without any physical activity, whereas Active rest means including low-intensity exercise that promotes blood flow to the muscles, helping them to recover better and faster.

Active rest is the sweet spot between being idle and training intensely. The goal of Active rest is to help your body heal from exercising by reducing the likelihood of inflammation and soreness. It allows your body to recover and repair. On your Active rest day you need to be active enough to increase blood flow, but gentle enough to allow your muscles to heal. 

Benefits of Active Rest

Whenever we use our muscles for exercising, our body turns glucose into Lactic acid; this is how our muscles get the energy to perform. Once our muscles stop working, the lactic acid our body remains in our muscles and causes that dreaded post-workout soreness. Active rest helps lactic acid move out of our muscles and dissolve into our bloodstream, so it’s not around to cause us pain afterward. The increased blood flow also makes it to our joints, reducing the chance of joint and muscle inflammation. It is essential for muscle growth. Exercise creates microscopic tears in your muscle tissues. But during rest, cells called fibroblasts repair it. This helps the tissue heal and grow, resulting in stronger muscles.

Active rest is also known to improve our mood and keep us from getting the post-workout blues, while also alleviating any fatigue. Plus, it’s great for our heart since it increases our heart rate and builds endurance.

Planning an Active Rest Day

An active rest day should include a different activity from your usual workout at the gym. You shouldn’t be working at maximum effort. Rather, go slow and don’t push yourself too hard.

Examples of active recovery exercises include:

  1. Stretching: is a simple and effective way to maintain increased blood flow and relaxation.
  2. Yoga: lengthens our muscles and tendons, aids in their recovery, and helps our body develop better mobility and flexibility.
  3. Meditation: is a great way to rest and refresh your mind. If sitting still for extended periods isn’t for you, there are alternative ways of meditating that keep your body busy and your mind free, such as doing the dishes or knitting.
  4. Swimming: is a low-impact exercise that’s easy on your joints and muscles.
  5. Walking or Jogging: is one of the best forms of Active Rest. Walking or jogging at a leisurely pace can enhance blood flow and help with recovery.
  6. Cycling: at a leisurely pace is an excellent way to get in an active recovery. It is low-impact and doesn’t put pressure on the joints. One can cycle either on a stationary bike or on a bicycle outdoors.
  7. Myofascial release with a foam roller: Active rest doesn’t only include movement. One also can stretch and roll a foam roller over parts of your body and get many of the same benefits. If your muscles are sore, foam rolling can help relieve tightness, reduce inflammation, and increase your range of motion.

A Word of Caution

Active rest day exercises are generally considered safe. During active recovery, make sure you aren’t working harder than about 50 percent of your maximum effort. This will give your body the chance it needs to rest. You may find that you feel less tight, sore, and even have more energy to exercise after active recovery. If you’re injured, in pain, or very fatigued, your body may need passive recovery which means total rest.

We hope this article helps you make the most of your workout and recovery. Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

You can find more information on muscle building here. You can also get these tips and know more about Active Rest or set up your own fitness routine by speaking to a GOQii Coach. All you need to do is subscribe to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

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How Does Omega 3 Help Muscle Building and Recovery

Omega 3

As we all know Omega 3 fatty acids are essential fats required by our body & we must get it from diet because our body cannot produce them on its own. There are 3 most important types of fatty acids which are:

  1. Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA)
  2. Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA)
  3. Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA)

Among this ALA is mostly found in plant oil like Flaxseeds oil, Soya bean and canola oils. While DHA & EPA are found in Animal food, mostly in fish and other sea foods. Our body can convert a small amount of ALA into DHA & EPA but it’s still not the optimum amount requirement by the body.

We all connect Omega 3’s with heart & brain health but we neglect the fact that it is essential for athletes and for people to lead an active lifestyle. Yes, from protecting our heart and brain, it plays a vital role in blood vessels, lungs, immune system, endocrine system and easing recovery after a workout.

As we know, protein is the main nutrient for athletes or sports persons, regardless of the workout whether it is weight lifting, cycling, running, swimming or muscle building. But do we know that Omega 3 fatty acids are equally involved in muscle protein synthesis? It is the process our body goes through to convert the protein we take, into fuel which is required by the muscles to grow, repair and stay strong after a workout. Having a good level of these fatty acids in your muscles during exercise seems to help muscle growth and recovery.

Food Sources for Omega 3

We can get adequate amount of Omega 3 fatty acids by eating variety of foods such as

  • Fish & other sea foods: Especially cold water fish such as Salmon, Tuna, Mackerel, Herring and Sardines
  • Plant oils: Flaxseeds oil, soya bean oil & canola oil
  • Nuts & seeds: Chia seeds, walnuts & flaxseeds
  • Some fortified foods also contain Omega 3’s. These include yogurt, milk, soy beverages, eggs and juices.

Why Do We Need Omega 3 Fatty Acids Before a Workout? 

  • It Improves endurance
  • Helps one perform better
  • Builds muscle
  • Helps increase lean body mass and decrease fat mass
  • Improves recovery time by reducing Inflammation

It’s common to feel sore post a workout. In fact, some people start to feel sore and stiff 2 days after a heavy workout. This is referred to as Delayed Onset Muscles Soreness (DOMS). It can affect workout motivation and performance and is caused by inflammation in muscle cells. Omega 3 helps inhibit the onset of DOMS and additionally helps in temporary muscle strength loss as well, improving workout performance.

Omega 3s increase muscles building response to amino acid (protein) & insulin too – both of which are normally released by the body during exercise. It means the more Omega 3 we have, the better the chances are in maintaining muscles and rebuilding them.

With increase in age, we can see progressive loss of muscle mass. It becomes more difficult to maintain and build muscles. The main cause can be a decreased response to both resistance training and protein intake. The Anti inflammatory properties of Omega 3 plays a role here by enhancing muscle sensitivity to protein and resistance training that will allow for greater gains in muscle size and strength with increasing age.

Omega 3 fatty acids can also help in decreasing the need for oxygen during exercise, which means that the body will work more efficiently and require less energy for the workout. This will directly help in improving recovery time.

Omega 3 fatty acids also play a great role for the person whose goal is to lose weight. Omega 3 fatty acids can help you burn fat by using it as energy. Here, the thumb rule is the more omega 3s you have, the better your body will function as it burns more fat for energy as you exercise.

Requirement

Requirement of Omega 3 fatty acids changes from person to person. Athletes and people who live an active lifestyle tend to have higher omega 3 needs than the average person. The required range varies from 1g to 8g per day of EPA & DHA. It is also advised to take it before an exercise session for better results.

We hope this article helps you! Do leave your thoughts and queries in the comments below! For more on fitness and nutrition, click here or speak to an expert by subscribing for GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.  

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