“My heart will run out of beats!” “Exercise will shorten my lifespan.” “I only have 3 billion heartbeats.”
❓Heard that you should be careful about how much you exercise, since studies across mammals show that higher heart rates are associated with shorter life expectancy?
❗Let me tell you that there is no such concern for humans. Smaller animals actually have higher metabolic rates to maintain body temperature due to their larger surface area to volume ratio. So, heart rate is actually a marker of metabolic rate.
😲 This means, you do not have to worry about running out of heartbeats or shortening your lifespan by increasing your heart rate during exercise. Think about how many times an endurance athlete’s heart must beat for just one long training session.
🛌In fact, the fitter you are, the slower your heart will be at rest. This is because exercise trains your heart muscle to be super efficient at pumping blood around your body.
🏃Aerobic exercise like swimming, running & lifting keeps your heart conditioned & decreases resting heart rate. This type of exercise also supports a healthy weight, making it easier for the heart to pump blood around the body.
🙏Yoga is another form of exercise that may decrease resting heart rate, especially if done frequently & over many years. Namaste!
📉 In addition to resting heart rate, another number to look out for is Heart Rate Variability (HRV). This indicates how well your heart can adjust to varying demands, from sitting on the sofa reading, to dashing for an appointment. The higher your HRV, the better your body is prepared to respond flexibly.
🎯High Intensity Interval Training (short bursts of moderate to intense movement alternating with easy movement) & multimodal exercise (go you Hyroxers, triathletes & runners in the gym) works to train your heart to respond flexibly, increasing your HRV.
⌚So, next time you hear anybody spreading the heartbeat myth, please call them out. If you are not already keeping an eye on your resting heart rate or HRV & you have a smart watch, check it out & start to learn what causes changes in those numbers & how you can work to improve your heart to live longer.
If you are keen to learn more about this or other topics related to brain and body health, follow me or subscribe to the blogpost. To work with me one-on-one to apply some of these principles to your own life and movement, message me for a free call. I look forward to hearing from you.
More resources (no paid partnerships or sponsorship)
- Zoe podcast: “How to prevent heart disease, according to science”.
- Marco Altini resources on HRV.
- HealthifyNZ “How to check your pulse and heart rate”.
References (for the extra keen)
Ceconi et al. (2011)
Graessler et al. (2021)
Levine (1997)
Reimers et al. (2018)