Why Your Heart Rate Matters

Don't miss any of HealthyWoman from Bottom Line. Add our address, HealthyWomanfromBottomLine@ebhw.bottomlinesecrets.com, to your Address Book or Safe List. Learn how here. January 6, 2011  Heart Rate: Why It Matters More Than You Might Think Drug-Free Diabetes Cure How to Tell Whom to Trust New Treatment Reverses 82% of Deadly Cancers... Without Chemotherapy, Radiation or Surgery Selenium vs. Bladder Cancer   Heart Rate: Why It Matters More Than You Might Think Most of us grew up in the days before gym teachers talked about resting heart rates and target heart rates. When coaches at school wanted us to work harder, they would just yell, "Hustle!" When we overdid it, we would flop down onto the ground for a few minutes until we felt better. But now that we’re older, the whole heart rate business is not something we can ignore. Recent research reveals the reasons... A study of 50,088 adults found that for women under age 70, every increase of 10 beats per minute (bpm) in resting heart rate (number of heartbeats per minute while at rest) boosted the risk of dying from a heart attack by 18%. (No such association was found among women 70 or older.) In a study of 129,135 postmenopausal women, those whose resting heart rate was above 76 bpm were 26% more likely to have or to die from a heart attack than those whose resting heart rate was below 63 bpm. A strong heart pumps blood more efficiently, so it doesn’t need to beat as fast. Regular aerobic exercise can lower your resting heart rate -- but only if you work out at the right intensity. According to Wayne Westcott, PhD, a Quincy College exercise science instructor, if you go too easy during workouts, you miss out on cardiovascular benefits... but if you push too hard, you might experience light-headedness, nausea and a higher-than-normal rise in blood pressure that could dangerously overwork your heart if you have hypertension. Here’s how to gauge the right workout intensity for you... Find out your current resting heart rate. First thing when you wake up, take your pulse at your wrist or neck for one minute. What resting heart rate suggests about fitness level for women in midlife and beyond... Excellent Below 60 bpm Very good 60 to 65 bpm Good 66 to 70 bpm Average 71 to 75 bpm Worse than average Above 75 bpm Plan to do a cardio workout at least three times per week. Good options include brisk walking, running, dancing, cycling and swimming, Dr. Westcott said. (Get your doctor’s OK before beginning or intensifying any exercise regimen.) Determine your target heart rate. Your ideal heart rate while exercising depends on two factors -- your age and current fitness level. Dr. Westcott explained that the problem with the target heart rate charts often seen online or at gyms is that they generally are based only on age, not on fitness level, so you could wind up working out too hard or not hard enough. And though one target heart rate formula (called the Karvonen method) does account for resting heart rate, it requires more complicated calculations and, in Dr. Westcott’s opinion, yields guidelines that may be too high. Better: Follow the guidelines in the charts below. To track heart rate during your workout, use a heart rate monitor (about $100 at sporting-goods stores). Remember: Your warm-up and cool-down do not count as time in your target range. If your resting heart rate currently is above 70 bpm... In your... Your target heart rate is... Your cardio workout should last... 40s 120 to 130 bpm 15 to 20 minutes 50s 110 to 120 bpm 15 to 20 minutes 60s 105 to 115 bpm 15 to 20 minutes 70s 95 to 105 bpm 15 to 20 minutes 80s 80 to 90 bpm 15 to 20 minutes If your resting heart rate is 60 to 70 bpm... In your... Your target heart rate is... Your cardio workout should last... 40s 130 to 140 bpm 20 to 25 minutes 50s 120 to 130 bpm 20 to 25 minutes 60s 115 to 125 bpm 20 to 25 minutes 70s 105 to 115 bpm 20 to 25 minutes 80s 90 to 100 bpm 20 to 25 minutes If your resting heart rate is below 60 bpm... In your... Your target heart rate is... Your cardio workout should last... 40s 135 to 145 bpm 25 to 30 minutes 50s 125 to 135 bpm 25 to 30 minutes 60s 120 to 130 bpm 25 to 30 minutes 70s 110 to 120 bpm 25 to 30 minutes 80s 95 to 105 bpm 25 to 30 minutes Adjust your workout intensity as needed. Check your resting heart rate monthly -- as it improves, intensify your workouts according to the guidelines above. For safety: Reduce workout intensity and/or duration if you feel exhausted rather than invigorated after exercising... your muscles feel sore for more than a day after working out... you are recovering from an illness... you feel stressed... or the pollen count or air pollution index is high. Source: Wayne Westcott, PhD, a certified strength and conditioning specialist, is the fitness research director and an instructor of exercise science at Quincy College, in Quincy, Massachusetts. He is the author or coauthor of 24 books on fitness and an advisory board member for HealthyWoman from Bottom Line. Drug-Free Diabetes Cure Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh have established that 83% of obese patients who try a new natural treatment code-named "LGB," that dramatically corrects the way your body metabolizes food, see dramatic improvement in their diabetes. In fact, many see total reversal of the disease. Dr. Philip Schauer, who led the study, also comments, "Most patients in the study with type 2 diabetes... achieved excellent biochemical [blood sugar] control and were able to reap the clinical benefits of withdrawing from most, if not all, antidiabetes medications, including insulin." LGB works in as little as 90 minutes, even on morbidly obese patients... Learn more... How to Tell Whom to Trust Judy Kuriansky, PhD Columbia University Like most people, you probably have felt betrayed at some time by a once-trusted friend who lied... a family member who bad-mouthed you... a colleague who gossiped about what you had shared in confidence... or a love interest who led you on or even cheated. After the anger subsides, such experiences can leave you feeling wary, withdrawn and uncertain of whom you can and cannot trust. But here’s what is really at stake -- if a past bad experience with one friend or lover prevents you from ever again placing trust in a new pal or partner, you will miss out on a lot of future joy in your relationships. Better: Instead of withdrawing, use the strategies below to renew confidence in your ability to gauge trustworthiness. When you are starting a new relationship... Take your time. If experience has shown that you tend to be naive in new relationships, observe a new acquaintance’s behavior for a while -- three months is usually enough time -- before you open your heart or spill your secrets. Red flags: He or she cancels dates at the last minute... makes excuses for not following through on promises... "forgets" to return borrowed items... gets caught in white lies... talks about having tricked someone... no longer talks to several formerly close friends. Be direct. Start a conversation about trustworthiness and honesty by declaring their importance to you. Then pay close attention to the other person’s response. A thoughtful explanation of why she, too, values these traits is much more reassuring than tentative hemming and hawing. If you are unsure whether to continue an established relationship... Make a "trust account." In his book The Speed of Trust, Stephen M.R. Covey recommends thinking of a relationship in terms of an emotional bank account. To evaluate a particular person’s trustworthiness, make two lists -- in the deposits category, write examples of incidents in which the person’s behavior added to your trust... in the withdrawals category, list behaviors that eroded trust. Compare the lists, asking yourself, "Is she usually out for herself, or does she consider what’s best for both of us? Do I generally feel that I can speak openly, or do I often feel that I need to conceal my true thoughts?" The answers should help you calculate the balance in that person’s trust account. Get a reality check. Some tricksters are charming and convincing, making it easy to miss warning signs. So call a friend whose judgment you know you can trust, describe your situation and ask, "Would you trust a person who says this or does that?" She may provide a perspective you had not thought about... and relating the story may give you an "aha" insight. If you cannot simply avoid an untrustworthy person altogether... Set boundaries. As much as possible, distance yourself from a dishonest neighbor (for instance, find someone else to pick up your mail when you’re out of town) and from gossipy coworkers (by limiting conversation to work topics and disengaging from joint projects if it won’t damage your career). To resist impulsive sharing, before revealing potentially sensitive information to a relative or social acquaintance who may have questionable motives, ask yourself what you hope to gain and what you stand to lose by confiding in that person at this particular time. If risks outweigh benefits, keep quiet. Practice what you preach. Be sure that you speak the truth, avoiding even white lies or subtle spin-doctoring that distorts the facts in your favor... make only those promises that you are willing and able to keep... and never betray a confidence. This gives you standards and expectations of honorable behavior by which to measure others. Source: Judy Kuriansky, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and sex therapist on the adjunct faculty of Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City. She is the author of five books, including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to a Healthy Relationship (Alpha), and is a columnist and advisory board member for HealthyWoman from Bottom Line. www.DrJudy.com New Treatment Reverses 82% of Deadly Cancers... Without Chemotherapy, Radiation or Surgery Lung cancer? Everybody knows that’s usually a death sentence. TV’s Peter Jennings died just a few months after announcing he had it. But you won’t hear that gloomy outlook from some very fortunate cancer patients. They were treated with a startling new medical cure that harnessed the cancer-killing power of their body’s T-cells. These warriors of your immune system usually ignore cancer. But researchers recently found a way to trick T-cells into destroying deadly cancers. How? With a dose of the patient’s own tumor cells! Read on... Selenium vs. Bladder Cancer Women are less likely than men to get bladder cancer -- but we also are less likely to survive if we do get it, according to the National Institutes of Health. Encouraging news from a recent study: Compared with women who had the lowest blood levels of the mineral selenium, those with the highest levels were 34% less likely to get bladder cancer. Bottom line: Further research is needed before selenium supplements could be recommended for bladder cancer prevention, but results of several studies are promising. Meanwhile, selenium-rich foods -- including nuts, seafood and whole wheat -- can be a healthful part of your diet. Source: Margaret Karagas, PhD, is a professor of community and family medicine at Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, New Hampshire, and leader of a study of 1,875 people. Tamara Eberlein, the editor of HealthyWoman from Bottom Line, has been a health journalist for nearly three decades. An award-winning author of four books, she is committed to helping other women in midlife and beyond live healthy, fulfilling lives. She is also the "chief health adviser" to her husband of 25 years, college-age twins and teenaged son. BOTTOMLINESECRETS.COM Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy About Us Contact US Bottom Line Publications | 281 Tresser Boulevard, 8th Floor | Stamford, CT 06901 You received this free E-letter because you have requested it. You are on the mailing list as healthwellness82@gmail.com. Or... a friend forwarded it to you. Click here to easily unsubscribe. 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