How to Read Your Heart Rate

There are many fancy machines that can read your resting heart rate, but reading your heart rate yourself is quite a simple task, and you don't need a doctor's degree to do it.

Simply follow our quick and easy guide to determine your heart rate. It's as easy as one, two, three.

Step # 1
Ensure you are sitting in a relaxed position. Comfortably straighten out your left arm in front of you.

Step # 2
Using your right hand, place your index and middle finger on the inner wrist, about four centimetres under your thumb and feel for a palpitation (pulse rate or beat). Do not use your thumb to determine a pulse rate as your thumb has its own pulse, which will interfere with your reading.

Step # 3
Now concentrate, and use a clock with a second-hand to count how many times your palpitation beats for approximately thirty seconds. Multiply this number by two to get your heart beats per minute (60 seconds). For a more accurate reading, you can count the beats for a full sixty seconds. Or, if you are running short on time, count the beats for ten seconds and multiply this figure by six.

Alternatively, you can get fancy and get yourself a blood pressure monitor. There are various types and these will give you a reading quickly and easily.