Artery: a tube-like part of the body used to carry blood away from the heart.
Pulse rate: the measured number of times an artery expands and contracts as blood is pumped by the heart.
Vein: a tube-like part of the body used to carry blood to the heart.
In case you you didn't know it, your heart rate is measured by how many times your heart beats each minute. You can measure your heart rate by finding and counting your pulse rate. Because your arteries will expand and contract with each heart beat, your heart rate and pulse rate are the same.
If you want to test how exercise changes your heart rate you will need to learn how to take your pulse and calculate your heart rate. You can do this by either finding your pulse on your wrist or on your neck next to your windpipe. Once you find your pulse, you will need a watch or clock with a second hand.
For example, if you count 15 pulses in 10 seconds you would multiply 15 X 6 and have a result of 90 (in 60 seconds).
Additional images via Wikimedia Commons. Swatch watch by Khalid Mahmood.
CJ Kazilek, Gabriel Shaibi. (2009, September 30). Check Your Heart Rate. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved January 10, 2025 from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/content/check-your-heart-rate
CJ Kazilek, Gabriel Shaibi. "Check Your Heart Rate". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 30 September, 2009. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/content/check-your-heart-rate
CJ Kazilek, Gabriel Shaibi. "Check Your Heart Rate". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 30 Sep 2009. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. 10 Jan 2025. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/content/check-your-heart-rate
There is no need for fancy eqiupment to check your pulse and heart rate. A watch with a second hand is all you will need.
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