Your heart is one of the most critical organs in your body, pumping blood throughout the system, delivering oxygen and nutrients while removing waste products. Maintaining good heart health is essential for living a long, active, and healthy life.

One of the easiest ways to monitor your cardiovascular health is by understanding your resting heart rate (RHR) and learning how to keep it in an optimal range. In this article, we'll explore the importance of RHR, how exercise affects heart health, and actionable tips to maintain a healthy heart through lifestyle changes.

Resting heart rate (RHR) is the number of times your heart beats per minute when you are at rest. It provides a useful insight into your cardiovascular health. For adults, a normal RHR typically ranges between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm). For athletes or those who engage in regular physical activity, the RHR can fall between 40 and 60 bpm, signaling that their hearts are more efficient.

A lower RHR generally indicates better heart health. When your heart doesn’t need to beat as frequently, it is working more efficiently. This efficiency translates into reduced stress on your heart and a decreased risk of heart-related conditions such as heart attacks or cardiovascular disease.

How Exercise Affects Heart Rate?

One of the most effective ways to improve your heart health and lower your RHR is through regular physical exercise. When you engage in endurance exercises like walking, jogging, swimming, or cycling, your heart rate temporarily increases to supply more oxygen to your muscles. Over time, this regular demand strengthens your heart, allowing it to pump blood more efficiently, thus lowering your RHR.

It’s important to track your heart rate during exercise, as it offers insights into the intensity of your workout. Generally, your target heart rate during physical activity should be between 50% and 85% of your maximum heart rate. To calculate your maximum heart rate, use the formula: 220 minus your age.

For example, if you're 40 years old, your estimated maximum heart rate is 180 bpm, and your target heart rate zone during exercise should be between 90 and 153 bpm.

Exercising at this intensity improves cardiovascular strength without overstressing the heart. However, if you have a history of heart disease, consult your doctor before beginning a new exercise regimen.

Factors Affecting Heart Rate During Exercise

Several factors influence your heart rate during exercise:

1. Age

Your maximum heart rate naturally decreases as you age, though it doesn't directly indicate fitness levels.

2. Cardiovascular Fitness

With consistent training, your heart becomes more efficient, and you will notice your heart rate lowers for the same level of exertion.

3. Environmental Conditions

Heat and humidity can elevate your heart rate as your body works harder to cool itself.

4. Diet

Eating habits can influence your heart rate. Healthy diets tend to support lower heart rates, while poor eating habits can elevate it.

5. Hydration

Dehydration thickens the blood, making it harder for the heart to pump, thus increasing your heart rate.

6. Sleep and Stress

Poor sleep or high stress levels can cause your heart rate to rise, affecting both RHR and exercise performance.

How to Monitor Your Heart Rate During Exercise?

Tracking your heart rate during exercise is key to achieving a balanced workout. Heart rate monitors (HRMs) offer a convenient way to do this. Many modern fitness trackers, smartwatches, and chest strap HRMs can help you monitor your heart rate in real-time. If you don’t have a heart rate monitor, you can manually check your pulse by placing two fingers on your wrist or neck and counting the beats for 30 seconds, then doubling that number to get your bpm.

For most people, aiming for a heart rate between 50% and 85% of their maximum heart rate during exercise will provide cardiovascular benefits without overtaxing the heart.

Importance of Resting Heart Rate

While your heart rate during exercise is important, your RHR offers a clear picture of your heart’s overall health. A lower RHR is often linked to greater physical fitness and a reduced risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attacks or strokes.

In contrast, a consistently high RHR may indicate potential issues, such as high blood pressure or an underlying heart condition. Studies have shown that individuals with a higher RHR are more likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease.

If your RHR is consistently above 90 bpm or below 50 bpm (and you're not an athlete), it's essential to consult a healthcare professional to ensure there are no underlying health problems.

Keeping Healthy Resting Heart Rate Through Exercise

1. Walking and Jogging: Simple yet effective, walking and jogging are among the best exercises to strengthen your heart and lower your RHR. Walking at a moderate pace for 30 minutes a day, five times a week, can improve heart efficiency. If you're more active, jogging provides an extra cardiovascular boost.

2. Strength Training: Incorporating strength training exercises like weight lifting helps build lean muscle mass and improves heart function by reducing the workload on the heart during daily activities.

3. Yoga and Stretching: Yoga combines breathing exercises, stretching, and poses that help reduce stress and lower RHR. Practicing yoga a few times a week can improve flexibility and cardiovascular health.

4. Swimming and Cycling: These low-impact exercises work your heart without putting undue strain on your joints. Both swimming and cycling can improve heart health and promote a lower RHR.

5. Interval Training: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) alternates between short bursts of intense exercise and periods of rest. This method strengthens the heart and helps to lower your RHR in a short amount of time.

Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle for Optimal Heart Health

In addition to exercise, maintaining a healthy lifestyle supports heart health. A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins provides the necessary nutrients to support cardiovascular function.

Managing stress through meditation or mindfulness exercises helps to prevent spikes in heart rate, while sufficient sleep ensures the heart gets the rest it needs.

- A lower resting heart rate (RHR) signifies better cardiovascular health.

- Engaging in regular aerobic and strength training exercises can lower your RHR.

- Tracking your heart rate during exercise helps ensure you're working within the optimal range for heart health.

- Lifestyle factors such as stress management, hydration, and diet play significant roles in maintaining heart health.

A recent study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) showed that more than 40 percent of prostate cancer patients in the country are diagnosed after the cancer has spread.

The 43 percent of late diagnosis cases indicates the significant burden of late detection of prostate cancer in the country. This can not only limit treatment options but also lead to poorer survival outcomes.

The study, published in the Indian Journal of Surgical Oncology, revealed that while more than 80 per cent began treatment within two months, but referral patients experienced longer delays.

Researchers from the ICMR’s National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research, in Bengaluru, stressed the need to strengthen referral pathways to ensure timely, stage-appropriate care.

“Our study indicates that over 80 percent of patients commence treatment within two months of diagnosis, but referral systems and delays in care persist,” said corresponding author Prashant Mathur, Director, ICMR-NCDIR, in the paper.

“To address these challenges, the healthcare system must prioritize improving referral efficiency, reducing administrative bottlenecks, enhancing coordination through digital health records, and multidisciplinary tumor boards,” the authors added.

Age, The Strongest Risk Factor For Prostate Cancer

The ICMR study is based on an analysis of 9,347 cases from 96 hospitals under the National Cancer Registry Program.

The researchers found that 75.6 percent of total prostate cancer cases occurred in the age group of 60–80 years, indicating that advanced age remains the biggest risk factor for the condition.

As life expectancy increases, more men reach the higher-risk age group, but awareness and screening practices have not scaled proportionately.

Adenocarcinoma was the most common pathology, constituting 77 percent of cases.

It is the most common form of prostate cancer, accounting for over 95 per cent of all cases. It develops in the gland cells that produce prostate fluid and typically grows slowly over several years.

Further, the ICMR researchers noted that about 57 percent of cases were diagnosed with localized (29.9 percent) or locoregional (27 percent) cancer.

Thirty percent underwent surgical treatment, and 22 percent received radiation therapy. Systemic therapy was the most common single modality treatment.

“Early detection and streamlined referral pathways are essential to improve prostate cancer outcomes in India,” the researchers said.

Prostate Cancer And Its Prevalence In India

Prostate cancer forms in the cells of the prostate -- a gland found only in males and a part of the male reproductive system. It lies below the urinary bladder and in front of the rectum.

Nearly all prostate cancers develop from glandular cells (adenocarcinomas).

Globally, prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among men in 112 countries and the leading cause of cancer death in 48 countries. In 2020, an estimated 1.4 million new cases of prostate cancer and 0.37 million deaths were reported worldwide.

In India, it is the second most common cancer among men, accounting for more than 60 percent of the prostate cancer burden in South-Central Asia. As per the ICMR data, the country reported 34,540 incidences of prostate cancer and 16,783 deaths.

Prostate cancer symptoms include urinary difficulty, a weak stream, or blood in the urine.

As prostate cancer is a slow-developing disease, it often causes no symptoms during the early-stage, leading to delayed medical consultation.

Other reasons for late detection in India include low awareness, limited routine screening -- PSA (prostate-specific antigen) programs; social stigma and hesitation due to embarrassment or cultural taboos.

Lack of access to specialist care, diagnostic facilities, and cancer centers, especially in rural populations, coupled with cost and referral gaps, also leads to delay in diagnosis.

Colon cancer develops from polyps in the colon or rectum, often taking years to show symptoms. The cancer begins when small growths called polyps form on the inner lining of the colon or rectum. Over time, changes in the DNA of these cells can cause the polyps to become cancerous.

As abnormal cells multiply, they replace healthy cells and eventually form a mass known as a tumor. This process develops slowly, often taking up to ten years for a precancerous polyp to turn into cancer and begin showing symptoms.

The American Cancer Society notes that colorectal cancer impacts around 1.9 million people every year.. In India, it is the fourth most common cancer among both men and women. In 2022, there were 64,863 new cases and 38,367 deaths.

Projections suggest that incidence will continue to rise by 2026, reflecting both lifestyle changes and improved detection.

Colon cancer can be difficult to detect because it often develops without obvious symptoms. However, Dr Jordan Karlitz, MD, of Exact Sciences, shared with The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC) the three fundamentals of CRC prevention and early detection.

What Are The Three Tips For CRC Screening?

According to the expert, these are the three things you should do to protect yourself:

1. Timely risk screening

2. Knowing your cancer family history

3. Acting on early symptoms

"These are the 3 pillars that everybody needs to be aware of, because I think gaps in any of them could increase the risk of developing CRC and, unfortunately, lead to presenting with more advanced-stage disease," said Dr Karlitz.

Why Is Risk Screening Essential?

Timely screening for colon cancer is essential because it detects precancerous polyps early, allowing for their removal before they turn into cancer and identifies the tumors at highly treatable stages when survival rates are about 90 percent.

Screenings (like colonoscopies) can detect and remove pre-cancerous growths called polyps, preventing the development of cancer. The expert suggested that average risk screening now starts at the age of forty-five; you do not have to wait until age 50.

What Early Symptoms Should You Look Out For?

Colon cancer rarely announces its presence with dramatic symptoms. More often, it whispers — through changes in bowel habits, subtle abdominal discomfort, or unexplained weight loss.

Some of the most commonly missed early signs include:

• Persistent changes in bowel movements: Chronic constipation or diarrhea often dismissed as dietary effects.
• Blood in stool: Bright red or dark blood should not be ignored.
• Unexplained weight loss: Especially when unintentional.
• Abdominal cramps or bloating: Misinterpreted as common digestive issues.

Persistent changes in bowel habits, especially if they last more than a few days, must be taken seriously. Narrow or ribbon-shaped stools may indicate a tumor partially blocking the colon.

A Himalayan zoonotic disease, which is transmitted by mite bites, known as Scrub typhus, is re-emerging. However, the attention and recognition to its threat remains poor. A Mongabay report noted the life of Maya Rai, 38, from Dajeeling, who works throughout the day. Her packed schedule does not allow her to stop working. When there is a febrile illness, it is "just another fever".

However, one monsoon, the fever hit her hard, while she thought it will pass too with some rest. She felt too weak to work. She received no clear diagnosis at the local Public Health Center (PHC), and was sent home with just painkillers. However, her condition did not improve. She experienced fever with cough, nausea, breathlessness and discomfort. Being a wage worker, she missed seven days, which meant no money for a week. She was finally taken to a private hospital in town, hours away from her village and the rapid test confirmed 'scrub typhus'.

This is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium Orientia tsutugamushi. Maya was prescribed antibiotics and was able to survive. However, there are many cases where this febrile fever is treated like any other fever, until it is too late. Many cases arise much later in front of a medical healthcare provider, when complications like acute respiratory distress, liver inflammation, kidney failure, and multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (MODS) have already happened.

Another case is from rural west Sikkim, where a 35-year-old Ganga Chhetri also had similar symptoms. However, by the time she was diagnosed, her organs were already critical. Ganga was also breastfeeding her two-year-old child and caring for her four-year-old.

Re-emergence of Scrub Typhus

The disease is locally known as kira le toke ko bimari, which literally translates it as a disease from an insect bite. This is re-emerging in the Dajeeling-Sikkim region of the Indian Himalayas, and is a public health concern in India. The cases have been reported across the country in India, as well as in other Southeast Asian countries. This affects one million people annually around the globe.

Scrub typhus was once confined to the Asia-Pacific’s ‘Tsutsugamushi Triangle’, a geographic stretch from northern Japan to Russia and northern Australia. Today, while this has changed, the disease still poses threat to many, including those living in the Himalayan region.

What Is Scrub Typhus And How Does It Spread?

It is an acute, potentially fatal, rickettsial infection that is caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi and transmitted by larval mites (chiggers) in rural areas.

At its core, scrub typhus in humans is associated with four interconnected elements: small mammals, particularly rats, tiny parasitic mites, the bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi, and the environment they inhabit together. The disease is spread specifically by the larval stage of trombiculid mites, commonly known as chiggers. Only the larvae transmit the infection, passing it to humans through their bite.

These chiggers feed on the blood of small mammals such as rats, which play a key role in sustaining mite populations. Rats can also carry Orientia tsutsugamushi and pass the bacteria to mites that feed on them. In contrast, the nymph and adult stages of the mite, typically found in soil and vegetation, do not spread the disease.

Humans become infected when they enter areas infested with mites or environments with high rat populations, allowing infected chiggers to shift from rodents to people. The likelihood of such spillover events increases when rodent numbers grow, mite populations expand, or human contact with rats intensifies.

Factors such as land use changes, shifting weather patterns, natural disasters, deforestation, rapid urbanization, and increased garbage accumulation can create conditions that favor rodent and mite proliferation, thereby raising the risk of disease transmission.