Your heart is one of the most important muscles in your body. It literally regulates the normal function that keeps you alive day in and day out.
Just think about it: your heart beats about once or twice every second, for your entire life. It never stops.
It just keeps going and going and going. It will do this until it slows down and finally stops. And that is when you die.
The amazing muscle doesn't beat at the same speed for your whole life, though. It has many varying speeds.
For example, if you are jogging on the side of the road or you see that cute girl at the end of the hall, your heart may feel like its "racing". You can feel it pounding incessantly even if you don't want to feel it.
Other times, such as when you're sleeping or sitting on the couch, someone may put their ear up to your chest and barely be able to hear the pitter-patter in your chest. It's almost as if it is barely working!
You might be wondering why the heart functions at different speeds throughout its life. Well, the more blood it has to pump, the faster it has to go to get the job done.
The volume of work that it has to do depends on you; what you are doing with your body on a day to day basis, and what you are putting into it. Let's look at some of the things (internal or external) that can increase or decrease your heart's pumping speed:
Exercise: This is probably a no-brainer when it comes to what increases the pumping rate, but it is still a very important one.
When your body needs more energy for exercise, your heart has to work harder. Usually there is a target rate that you want it to pump at so you can get the most out of your workout.
Exercises that get your rate up could be anything from walking at a brisk pace to using complicated fitness equipment. This could be something like running on a treadmill for an extended period of time, which can get your blood pumping!
When you work out more and more, your body gets used to the new work ethic and your heart gets stronger. This means it has to use less energy to pump the same amount of blood cells, so after a while of exercising your rate will decrease.
Caffeine: This may make sense after you think about the time you chugged a couple Mountain Dews and were bouncing off the walls in no time! Caffeine is a stimulant that hypes up the body, and as a result, hypes up the pumping rate.
The amount of caffeine you have to intake in order to increase the rate varies depending on how old you are and what kind of body type you have. Overall, experts say that 250 mg of caffeine is a moderate dosage for adults.
Emotion: We all have felt a strong emotion at some point. Whether were on a date with a really pretty girl or we just got into a car accident, the heart reacts similarly to how we are feeling.
The strongest emotions that can directly affect pumping rate are fear, panic, and anxiety. And some even say that the memory of a tragic event can even be as traumatizing as the real thing.
Relaxation: This has exactly the opposite effect on your body when looking at strong emotions. When your body and muscles are relaxed, so is your heart.
Activities such as yoga, massage, meditation, listening to music, and sleep all do wonders in slowing the pumping rate. If you are stressed out and want to be healthier, these are some great ideas to put in the back of your mind!
These are only some of the things that affect the pumping rate of your most important muscle. There are many other aspects that can affect the way your body reacts.
Just keep in mind that it is good to vary your rate over your lifetime. An overly sedentary lifestyle or an over reactive lifestyle will have long term effects on your ticker.
Author Resource:-
Terry Daniels is an accomplished expert in health and fitness. He recommends the besttreadmills you can find in the market.
Contact Info:
Terry Daniels
TerryDaniels09@gmail.com
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