❤️ Heart Rate Explorer
Count your heartbeats before and after exercise to discover how your heart speeds up to deliver more oxygen to your muscles!
🧰 What you need
🔬 Steps
- 1
Sit quietly for 2 minutes. Then find your pulse: place two fingers on the side of your neck below your jaw, or on the inside of your wrist below your thumb.
💡 Press gently — too much pressure can block the pulse. You want to feel it, not stop it. - 2
Count the beats for 30 seconds and multiply by 2 — this is your resting heart rate (beats per minute). Write it down.
- 3
Do 2 minutes of jumping jacks or running on the spot as fast as you can.
- 4
Immediately find your pulse again and count for 30 seconds × 2. Write down your exercise heart rate.
- 5
Wait 3 minutes and measure again — this is your recovery rate. See how fast your heart returns to resting!
💡 Fit people recover faster. Athletes can drop from 180 bpm back to 70 bpm in under 2 minutes!
🧠 The Science
Your heart is a pump that sends oxygen-rich blood to every part of your body. At rest, your heart beats around 60–100 times per minute. During exercise, your muscles need much more oxygen to produce energy — so your heart beats faster (120–180 bpm) to pump more blood. Your breathing also speeds up to take in more oxygen. After exercise, your muscles need less oxygen, so your heart rate drops back toward normal. The fitter you are, the faster this recovery happens and the lower your resting heart rate.
📚 Related Lessons
- 🏃 Staying Healthy — Eat well, drink water, exercise, and sleep — four golden habits for a healthy body!
- ⚡ Food for Energy — Food gives us energy, builds our body, and protects us — carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and water all have roles!