Health Tip: Measuring your pulse before and after a brisk walk can give you a glimpse into your heart fitness. Your Maximum Heart rate is usually considered 220 minus your age. This is the upper limit of what your heart can handle. You know you are fit if a brisk walk doesn't exert your heart rate too much.
One of the ways we determine if your heart's in good shape is to see how readily your heart rate picks up under exertion. For example, if it doesn't take much to reach your MHR ( see above tip), then you are probably not in good cardiosvascular shape. A good way to see this is to take your pulse before a one mile brisk walk, and then record it immediately after walking. You can check your pulse right under your ear towards your jaw bone (carotid), or your radial pulse. . When you feel your pulse, look at your watch and count the number of beats in 10 seconds. Multiply this number by 6 to get your heart rate per minute.
Basically, your heart fitness is determined by how much it takes to get it 'worked up'. As a focal point, athletes heart rates are slow ( often less than 60 beats a minute), and their heart rates rarely approach their MHR.
Once again, I think this physical analogy pertains very well to our spiritual health . The ability to stand unwaiveringly under pressure is what defines a person of integrity, a person of character. As a christian, I am convinced this ability to stand steadfast under pressure is impossible apart from Christ. Running with perseverance, eyes set on the goal (namely, Jesus), and focused on eternal goals is what keeps us healthy: spiritually, emotionally, and physically!
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