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Your resting heart rate should be taken first thing in the morning before you get out of bed. Your pulse rate will rise if you do any activity—including getting up, eating, drinking, or smoking.
To get a true resting heart rate you must be completely still and calm. If something like an alarm startled you awake, lie quietly for a few minutes before you take your pulse.
If you cannot take your pulse immediately after awakening, wait for one to two hours after having any caffeine, exercising, or dealing with an emotional stressor. Lie down or sit quietly for at least 10 minutes before taking your pulse.

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your heart rate increases when standing up from a lying position

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Walking or running with the wind at your back is easy, therefore HR decreases. Walking or running into the wind is more difficult: HR increases.

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Caffeine in coffee and energy drinks increases your heart rate by blocking adenosine which is a chemical in the brain that causes drowsiness and slows heart rate.

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You can calculate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. For example, if you're 45 years old, subtract 45 from 220 to get a maximum heart rate of 175. This is the average maximum number of times your heart should beat per minute during exercise.

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When you exercise, are you working hard or hardly working? Exercising at the correct intensity can help you get the most out of your physical activity. You can make sure you're not pushing too hard or too little. Here's a look at what exercise intensity means, and how to make best use of your workout.

Choosing your exercise intensity

How hard should you be exercising? For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends these exercise guidelines:

Aerobic activity. Get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week. Or get at least 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week. You also can get an equal combination of moderate and vigorous activity. Aim to spread out this exercise over a few days or more in a week.

For even more health benefits, the guidelines suggest getting 300 minutes a week or more of moderate aerobic activity. Exercising this much may help with weight loss or keeping off lost weight. But even small amounts of physical activity can be helpful. Being active for short periods of time during the day can add up and have health benefits.

Moderate aerobic exercise includes activities such as brisk walking, biking, swimming or mowing the lawn. Vigorous aerobic exercise includes activities such as running, swimming laps, heavy yard work or aerobic dancing.

Strength training. Do strength training for all major muscle groups at least two times a week. One set of each exercise is enough for health and fitness benefits. Use a weight or resistance level heavy enough to tire your muscles after about 12 to 15 repetitions.

Strength training can include use of free weights, weight machines or resistance tubing. And it can include activities that use your own body weight, such as rock climbing or heavy gardening. Or try squats, planks or lunges.

Your exercise intensity must generally be at a moderate or vigorous level for the most benefit. For weight loss, the more intense or longer your activity, the more calories you burn.

Exercise progression is important, but this should be at a gradual rate. Overdoing it can raise your risk of soreness, injury and burnout. Start at a light intensity if you're new to exercising. Slowly build up to a moderate or vigorous intensity. As a general guide, aim for about a 10&percnt; increase in the amount of your activity per week for a safe progression.

Think about the reasons you exercise. Do you want to improve your fitness, lose weight, train for a competition or do a combination of these? Your answer will help decide the right level of exercise intensity for you.

Be realistic and don't push yourself too hard too fast. Fitness is a lifetime commitment, not a sprint to a finish line. Talk to a health care professional if you have any medical conditions or you're not sure how hard you should exercise.

Understanding exercise intensity

When you're doing aerobic activity, such as walking or biking, exercise intensity has to do with how hard the activity feels to you. Exercise intensity also can be seen in your breathing and heart rate, whether you're sweating, and how tired your muscles feel.

You can measure exercise intensity in two basic ways:

How you feel. Exercise intensity is a subjective measure of how hard physical activity feels to you while you're doing it, called your perceived exertion. Your perceived exertion may be different from what someone else feels doing the same exercise. For example, what feels to you like a hard run can feel like an easy workout to someone who's more fit.

Perceived exertion may not always be similar to your heart rate level, and it depends on the person. But perceived exertion can be a general guide to measure your exertion level. If you think you're working hard, your heart rate is probably higher than usual.

Your heart rate. Your heart rate offers a more fact-based look at exercise intensity. In general, the higher the heart rate during physical activity, the higher the exercise intensity.

You can use either way of gauging exercise intensity. If you like technology, you can check your heart rate with an activity tracker that includes a heart rate monitor. If you feel you're in tune with your body and your perceived exertion, you'll likely do fine without a monitor.

Gauging intensity by how you feel

Here are some clues to help you judge your exercise intensity.

Moderate exercise intensity

Moderate activity feels somewhat hard. Here are clues that your exercise intensity is at a moderate level:

Your breathing quickens, but you're not out of breath.

You start to lightly sweat after about 10 minutes of activity.

You can talk to someone, but you can't sing.

Vigorous exercise intensity

Vigorous activity feels challenging. Here are clues that your exercise intensity is at a vigorous level:

Your breathing is deep and rapid.

You start to sweat after only a few minutes of activity.

You can't say more than a few words without pausing for breath.

Overexerting yourself

Beware of pushing yourself too hard too often. If you are short of breath, are in pain or can't work out as long as you'd planned, your exercise intensity is probably higher than your fitness level allows. Back off a bit and gradually build intensity.

Gauging intensity using your heart rate

Another way to gauge your exercise intensity is to see how fast your heart is beating on average during physical activity. To use this method, you first have to figure out your maximum heart rate. The maximum heart rate is the upper limit of what your heart and blood vessel system, called the cardiovascular system, can handle during physical activity.

If you're healthy, you can figure out your approximate maximum heart rate by multiplying your age by 0.7 and subtracting the total from 208. For example, if you're 45 years old, multiply 45 by 0.7 to get 31.5, and subtract 31.5 from 208 to get a maximum heart rate of 176.5. This is the average maximum number of times the heart should beat each minute during exercise in this example.

Once you know your maximum heart rate, you can find out your desired target heart rate zone. The target heart rate zone is the level at which you're exercising and conditioning the heart but not overworking it.

The American Heart Association generally recommends these heart rate targets:

Moderate exercise intensity: 50&percnt; to about 70&percnt; of your maximum heart rate.

Vigorous exercise intensity: 70&percnt; to about 85&percnt; of your maximum heart rate.

If you're not fit or you're just beginning an exercise program, aim for the lower end of your target heart rate zone. Then, slowly build up the intensity. If you're healthy and want to exercise at a vigorous intensity, opt for the higher end of the zone.

How to find your target heart rate zone

Use an online calculator to find your desired target heart rate zone.

Or follow this example to get an estimate of your target heart rate zone using the heart rate reserve (HRR) method. If you're aiming for a target heart rate in the vigorous exercise range of 70&percnt; to 85&percnt;, you can use the HRR method to calculate it like this:

Multiply your age by 0.7 and subtract the total from 208 to get your maximum heart rate.

Calculate your resting heart rate by counting how many times your heart beats each minute when you are at rest, such as first thing in the morning. It's usually somewhere between 60 and 100 beats per minute for the average adult.

Calculate your heart rate reserve (HRR) by subtracting your resting heart rate from your maximum heart rate.

Multiply your HRR by 0.7 (70&percnt;). Add your resting heart rate to this number.

Multiply your HRR by 0.85 (85&percnt;). Add your resting heart rate to this number.

These two numbers are your target heart rate zone for vigorous exercise intensity when using HRR to calculate your target heart rate zone. Your heart rate during vigorous exercise should generally be between these two numbers.

For example, say your age is 45 and you want to figure out your target heart rate zone for vigorous exercise using the HRR method. Follow these steps:

First, multiply 45 by 0.7 and subtract the total from 208 to get your maximum heart rate. The maximum heart rate is 176.5.

Next, check your resting heart rate first thing in the morning. Say it's 80 beats per minute. Calculate your HRR by subtracting 80 from 176.5. Your HRR is 96.5.

Multiply 96.5 by 0.7 (70&percnt;) to get 67.5, then add your resting heart rate of 80 to get 147.5. This is your target heart rate at 70&percnt; intensity.

Now multiply 96.5 by 0.85 (85&percnt;) to get 82, then add your resting heart rate of 80 to get 162.03. This is your target heart rate at 85&percnt; intensity.

Your target heart rate zone for vigorous exercise is 148 to 162 beats per minute, rounded to whole numbers.

How to tell if you're in the zone

So how do you know if you're in your target heart rate zone?

Use an activity tracker to check your heart rate regularly while you exercise.

Or use these steps to check your heart rate during exercise:

Stop briefly.

Take your pulse for 15 seconds. To check your pulse at the blood vessel in the neck called the carotid artery, place your index and third fingers on your neck to the side of your windpipe. To check your pulse at your wrist, place two fingers between the bone and the tendon over the blood vessel found on the thumb side of the wrist, called the radial artery.

Multiply this number by 4 to find out your beats per minute.

Here's an example: You stop exercising and take your pulse for 15 seconds, getting 37 beats. Multiply 37 by 4, to get 148. If you're 45 years old, this puts you in the target heart rate zone for vigorous exercise, since the target zone for that age is between 148 and 162 beats per minute using the HRR method. If you're under or over your target heart rate zone, raise or lessen your exercise intensity.

Target heart rate tips

It's important to note that maximum heart rate is only a general guide. You may have a higher or lower maximum heart rate, sometimes by as much as 15 to 20 beats per minute. And other factors such as your physical activity routines, fitness level and health can all affect your target heart rate range. If you want a more specific range, talk about your target heart rate zone with an exercise physiologist or a personal trainer.

Generally, only elite athletes may need to get a very specific range. They also may use slightly different ways to figure out the target heart rate that may lead to differences in the target heart rate range. These differences are so small that most casual athletes don't need such specific ranges.

Also note that many types of medicines, including some medicines to lower blood pressure, can lower your maximum heart rate, and then lower your target heart rate zone. Ask a member of your care team if you need to use a lower target heart rate zone because of any of your medicines or medical conditions.

Research also shows that interval training, which includes short bouts (around 20 seconds to 4 minutes) of higher intensity exercise between periods of longer, less strenuous exercise throughout a workout, is well tolerated. It's even safe for those with heart disease and type 2 diabetes. This type of training also is very effective at increasing heart and blood vessel, also called cardiovascular, fitness and helping with weight loss.

Reap the rewards of exercise intensity

You'll get the most from your workouts if you're training at the proper exercise intensity for your health and fitness goals. If you don't feel like you're working out hard enough or your heart rate is too low, pick up the pace. If you're worried that you're pushing yourself too hard or your heart rate is too high, back off a bit.

Before starting a vigorous exercise program, you may want to talk with a member of your health care team, who may suggest that you have certain tests first. This may be the case for people who have diabetes or more than one risk factor for heart disease, and for men over age 45 and women over age 55.

Show references

See more In-depth

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To get the most out of exercising, aim for moderate to vigorous exercise intensity. See how to judge your exercise intensity.

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A person with stronger cardiovascular muscle (such as an athlete) has low heart rate, because it can pump more blood in each heart beat.

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Many medicines and drugs can affect the rate and rhythm of the heart. A few examples are:

Asthma medicines.

Decongestants and cold medicines.

Illegal drugs such as 🤬 or amphetamines.

Some heart and blood pressure medicines.

Some medicines for depression and anxiety.

Thyroid medicine.

Illegal drugs, such as 🤬 or amphetamines, also can cause changes in your heart rate or rhythm.

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Will increase your heart rate

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When you exercise, your heart rate will be increasing to pump more blood(oxygen) around your body.

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High blood pressure forces your heart to work harder to pump blood to the rest of your body. This causes part of your heart (left ventricle) to thicken. A thickened left ventricle increases your risk of heart attack, heart failure and sudden cardiac death.

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The heart rate gets lower during physical activities or stress situations as you get age but the resting heart rate doesn't change significantly

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Blood will become thicker and heart rate will increase

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There are certain factors affecting heart rate when exercising. Your body relies as heavily on the oxygen/fuel ratio as your car does. Much like your car's engine, your body uses oxygen and various fuels (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) to yield muscle energy. When this ratio is not in balance in the body, a whole series of physiological events occur.

These events can be gauged with your body's tachometer - your heart rate. And much like the automobile engine, the true efficiency of the body's engine is dependent upon a multitude of parts working efficiently together. Your heart rate will indicate if there is any sign of trouble in your body's engine.

A Brief List of Factors Affecting Heart Rate

These factors play a role in directly affecting heart rate while running or walking:

1. Emotions and anxiety can raise your heart rate! Unlike an automobile that is purely mechanical, we are not solely governed by working parts. Some days you can "feel" your way to a higher HR.

2. Body Temperature: If you become too hot or too cold your body senses a thermal stress load. Blood is sent to your skin to enhance heat dissipation to cool you or increases blood flow to warm you. Apparent temperatures (which account for humidity or wind chill) above 70 degress (F) and below 35 degrees (F) will increase your heart rate at least 2-4 beats per minute. Over 90% humidity can equal as much as a 10 beat increase in heart rate.

3. The terrain. Walk or run uphill and your HR increases. Walk or run downhill and your HR decreases.

4. Wind. Walking or running with the wind at your back is easy, therefore HR decreases. Walking or running into the wind is more difficult: HR increases.

5. Dehydration. As you become increasingly dehydrated during a long walk, hike, or run, your blood becomes thicker and waste products build up in bloodstream. Your heart will work harder to maintain constant cardiac output. A fluid loss of 3% of body weight increases pulse rate because of decrease in circulating blood volume.

6. Diminishing glycogen stores - your muscles primary fuel source. As the fuel depletes, in order to maintain the same walking or running pace, your HR rises.

7. Insufficient nutrition. HR increases.

8. Insufficient sleep. HR increases.

9. Insufficient recovery after a long hike, run, or other hard workout. HR increases.

10. Recent illness - or - a signal of impending illness. You guessed it!

11. Medication - depending upon the medication, heart rate can either decrease or increase. Be certain to ask your physician about any medication you are taking and its effects on your exercise heart rate.

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There are certain factors affecting heart rate when exercising. Your body relies as heavily on the oxygen/fuel ratio as your car does. Much like your car's engine, your body uses oxygen and various fuels (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) to yield muscle energy.

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Children have faster heart rates due to their smaller body and heart size.

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If you become too hot or too cold your body senses a thermal stress load

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Your HR increases when you smoke.
Smoke of cigarettes tightens major arteries, and can causes irregular heart beat. These changes make your heart work harder, thus increases HR.

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(Sebastian Kaulitzki/Science Photo Library, Getty Images)

Debby Schrecengast's blood pressure was "through the roof." She had gained a lot weight. A history of heart disease ran deep in her immediate family.

When she looks back at herself in 2014, the year she suffered a stroke, she sees a "stubborn old donkey" in denial about her health.

"I had let my blood pressure go uncontrolled and I remained overweight for so long," said Schrecengast, 56. "There's some damage that I can't undo. Now, I try to keep it from getting worse."

Schrecengast, who lives in LaFargeville, New York, eased back into an exercise routine at her local YMCA. She took nutrition classes and spent evenings swapping healthy recipes.

Since then, she's dropped 30 pounds and has run a half-marathon. She no longer needs blood pressure medicine.

Stroke survivor Debby Schrecengast made changes to improve her heart health. (Photo courtesy of Debby Schrecengast)

"I know now I have to be diligent," she said. "This really isn't, 'I have to be good for six months or I have to be good for a year.' I have to be good forever."

Genetics can play a role in cardiovascular health, but so can lifestyle changes. Here are eight factors than can affect the heart and what to do about them:
1. Cholesterol
What to know: "Bad" LDL cholesterol can clog up the arteries that feed your heart and brain - and increase heart attack and stroke risk. "Good" HDL cholesterol can help eliminate the bad, but only to an extent. The body also takes in additional cholesterol from certain foods - like meat, eggs and dairy.

What to do: Get a blood test and know your cholesterol levels. Then, work with your health care provider on what changes might be needed. Switching to a low-fat diet can help lower LDL cholesterol. Getting more regular exercise can elevate levels of good HDL.
2. Resting heart rate
What to know: Lower is better. For most people, a resting heart rate between 60 and 100 beats per minute is considered normal. It's affected negatively by stress, hormones and medication. Getting into better shape can not only lower your resting heart rate, it could help save your life: Studies have shown a higher rate is associated with higher risk for death, even among people who don't have traditional heart disease risk factors.

What to do: Check your heart rate at rest, preferably first thing in the morning, before getting out of bed.
3. Cardiorespiratory fitness
What to know: Aerobic exercise can get the heart pumping and build endurance. Growing evidence over the past three decades has shown that low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and death. High levels are linked to a lower risk of developing dementia, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and even some types of cancer.

What to do: A health care provider can assess your cardiovascular endurance and overall fitness. It is often measured using the VO2 max, the maximum amount of oxygen a person can take in during intense aerobic exercise.

To increase cardiorespiratory fitness, go for a run or hop on a bike. Take a brisk walk or turn up the music and start dancing. Any type of aerobic exercise that increases breathing and heart rate has the ability to build your endurance if done regularly. If you haven't been active for a while, start slowly and gradually build.
4. Blood pressure
What to know: High blood pressure, or hypertension, often is called the "silent killer" because it usually lacks obvious symptoms. Nearly half of all U.S. adults have high blood pressure, yet many people are unaware. When left uncontrolled, it is a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke and heart failure.

What to do: Learn your numbers and what they mean. High blood pressure is defined as a reading of 130 or higher for the top number, or 80 or higher for the bottom number. Make sure to take measurements regularly to detect patterns and recognize when numbers creep up.
5. Blood glucose level
What to know: Blood sugar levels can fluctuate depending on time of day, what you eat and when you ate it. Too high or too low a level can affect your concentration, make you dizzy, and harm vital organs. Diabetes develops when there is too much sugar in the blood because the body either fails to make enough insulin or cannot use it efficiently.

What to do: Type 2 diabetes is associated with obesity and physical inactivity. Diet and exercise can lower the odds of developing it or slow its progression. A low-fat diet that cuts back on sweets, added sugars and processed meats can help keep blood sugar levels steady.
6. Waist circumference
What to know: Some experts consider the distance around your natural waist a better way to measure body fat than relying on body mass index alone. Someone with a relatively low BMI score may have a large waist, and people who carry fat around their abdomen as opposed to the hips or elsewhere are at greater risk for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. A high waist circumference also is associated with increased risk for high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels.

The AHA recommends adults get both their BMI and waist circumference measured each year. BMI alone may not be enough to diagnose obesity, especially in some minority groups.

What to do: Grab an old-fashioned tape measure and wrap it around your waist while standing. Place the tape measure just above your hipbones. Then, exhale and record the measurement. Men should aim for less than 40 inches, while women should shoot for less than 35 inches.
7. Heart rhythm
What to know: Atrial fibrillation, or AFib as it's often called, is a quivering or irregular heartbeat. Left untreated, it doubles the risk for heart-related death and has a fivefold increased risk for stroke.

What to do: If you recognize the common AFib symptoms - including weakness, shortness of breath, dizziness, heart palpitations or an irregular heartbeat - see your doctor. Treatment depends on the underlying medical issue that may be causing the AFib and could include medications and procedures to help restore a normal rhythm.
8. Family history
What to know: Family history is considered a "risk-enhancing factor," according to recent cholesterol management guidelines. That means if a parent, grandparent or sibling has had a stroke, heart attack or other type of heart disease, the information should be shared with your doctor as soon as possible.

Genetic factors such as race also may be in play. High blood pressure, for example, is a major heart disease risk factor, and its prevalence among black Americans is among the highest in the world.

What to do: If you don't know a relative's full medical story, seek out family who do. Details such as how old someone was when heart disease first developed can be critical. Family history can give your health care provider a better perspective on your overall risk for cardiovascular disease in the future.
If you have questions or comments about this story, please email editor@heart.org.

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8 things that can affect your heart - and what to do about them

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Debby Schrecengast's blood pressure was "through the roof." She had gained a lot weight. A history of heart disease ran deep in her immediate family. When she looks back at herself in 2014, the year she suffered a stroke, she sees a "stubborn old donkey" in denial about her health.

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your heart rate decreases while you are asleep

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Your heart rate gets lower during sports activities or times of stress when you age but at rest it doesn't change significantly