Healthy Heart and Blood Pressure FAQ 

One good way to determine how healthy you are is to assess your heart health. Although there are many factors that can contribute to a healthy heart, the most important areas you can easily measure yourself are your resting heart rate and your resting/active blood pressure.

What is resting heart rate?

When you’re resting, count how many times your heart beats in a minute. Resting could be standing, sitting, or lying down. The most important factor to consider is that you are not engaging in exercise, as this would raise the heart rate.

What should my resting heart rate be?

Most healthy adults will have a resting heart rate of 60-100 beats per minute (BPM).

Generally, the lower the number of beats the more efficient the heart is at pumping blood. For example, elite athletes have been shown to have resting heart rates around 40 BPM.

What is blood pressure?

Blood pressure is the amount of strength at which the heart...