What’s Your Heart Recovery Rate?

The best way to tell which women are at risk for heart disease does not require expensive medical equipment. A study from Johns Hopkins University published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that those women who could reach their target heart rate during exercise and return to normal soon afterwards were the least likely to get heart disease. The study, which looked at almost 3,000 women for 20 years, had the women exercise on a treadmill until exhaustion and recorded their heart rates at their highest level and two minutes after they stopped exercising. Those whose hearts slowed by at least 55 beats were in the fittest group.

The researchers then divided the women into groups based on their exercise ability and how quickly their heart rate returned to a slower pace after exertion. They found that those women who were below average in endurance and heart rate recovery were thirteen times more likely to die of heart disease compared to the group that scored highest. The good news is that it only takes a little effort to improve your heart's fitness. Even women who are overweight can achieve better recovery time with regular exercise.
SOURCES: Johns Hopkins University; Journal of the American Medical Association
www.jhu.edu/~gazette/2003/13oct03/13women.html
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/290/12/1600