The Benefit of A Low Heart Rate

Finally, I have a new response to the question that I’m always hit with from non-runners. You know the, “why do you run?” question, asked with the most incredulous looks on their faces. Apart from the obvious answer of “because I really, honestly and completely enjoy running – I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t enjoy it” which I always used to fall back on, I have recently read an article which puts great stock in the prospects of long life for those who have lower heart rates.

And how do you get a lower heart rate? Become an endurance athlete, keep fit…run.

By monitoring the heart rates of men who were recovering from heart disease it was noted that those patients whose heart rates were consistently higher ran an increased risk of having a further heart attack. From this study came a secondary possibility that if having a higher heart rate increased the chances of heart problems, then perhaps lowering the heart rate might reduce the risk.

No one is really sure whether the raised heart rate is a marker for disease or comes as a risk factor itself. What is known is that it is a signal that a person is unfit, overweight or under-exercised.

The argument is that if the heartbeat is reduced by only a few beats a minute, say 6, this would accumulate into a saving of more than 3 million beats in a year or 30 millions beats in a decade. Given that the heart is just as prone to wear out as any other working machine, surely the easier it is allowed to work, the longer its lifespan will become.

Heart rate is known to be reduced through weight loss and exercise. Although your heart rate goes up during exercise, as you get fitter your overall resting heart rate will drop and the prospects for longevity are increased. Endurance athletes have low resting heart rates.

So regardless of whether having a reduced resting heart rate will actively combat the chances of a heart attack or even prolong life, the unarguable truth is that it is a marker of a fit, healthy body. I’ve been a lifelong runner and have enjoyed a resting heart rate of around 52 beats per minute, well under the average for a middle aged man of 80. As far as I’m concerned, this is one average I’m glad to be below.