Why You Should Track Your Steps and Heart Rate
Lindsay Knake
| 3 min read
Lindsay Knake is a brand journalist for Blue Cross B...
Medically reviewed by Michael Kobernick, M.D.
About half of Americans have a smartwatch or wearable fitness tracker. Many of these devices, such as Apple Watches and Fitbits, track both step count and heart rate. While you may look at these numbers individually as you work to achieve fitness goals, combining them may be even better.
A five-year study of nearly 7,000 people found a ratio of heart rate and step count is a better measure of health than either heart rate or step count. The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, noted that higher daily heart rate per step is associated with an increased risk of:
- Type 2 diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Coronary atherosclerosis
- Heart attack
- Heart failure
- Stroke
To track your daily heart rate per step, you will need to continuously monitor your heart rate through a smartwatch or similar device. Divide your average daily heart rate by your daily step count.
For example, an average daily heart rate of 80 and an average step count of 4,000 gives you a daily heart rate per step of 0.02. Increasing step count to 6,000 steps per day, even if average heart rate remains 80, is a 0.013 daily heart rate per step, which is an improvement.
This study adds on to other evidence about physical activity and heart rate. Walking for 20 minutes per day can decrease your risk of heart disease by 30% and decrease risk of other chronic conditions.
Adults who get about 21 minutes of walking a day have a 25% lower risk of depression, according to the American Psychological Association. Walking half that still leads to an 18% lower risk of depression.
A lower resting heart rate is connected to stronger heart health and cardiovascular fitness. Most healthy adults should have a resting heart rate from 60 to 100 beats per minute. Athletes may have lower resting heart rates.
How to adapt this for your life
If you have a fitness tracker or smart watch, you can use the simple formula to track your daily heart rate per step ratio and keep track of it over time.
More than half of Americans in the United States don’t meet the guidelines for aerobic activity. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adults get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week, along with two muscle-strengthening activities.
You don’t need to walk 10,000 steps per day, either. Walking 7,000 steps or about 3 miles a day leads to better health outcomes and lower risk of premature death.
If you haven’t been active, try setting a realistic goal such as starting with five minutes of walking per day four days a week and adding a minute or two every week. If you are inconsistent with your physical activity, set a goal of being active four or five days a week.
Taking care of our physical health is one of the ways we can all keep health care more affordable. Staying active, eating healthy and taking preventive steps to manage your health helps avoid costly complications and need for medical care down the road. When more people lead healthier lives, we can all help lower health care costs, protect access and lower health care costs for everyone.
Learn more about how Blue Cross is making health care more affordable here.
Image: Getty Images
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