One of the ways to determine how healthy you are, roughly, is to examine your resting heart rate – or in other terms, how fast your heart beats when you’re not excited or performing any serious physical tasks. Generally, this rate lies in a certain range for most people, and examining it can be a good way to indicate potential complications with your health. But to do that efficiently, you first need to know what your regular resting heart should be.

For adults, the general standard for a resting heart rate to be considered “normal” falls between 60 and 80 beats per minute. Now, this is just a rough figure, and the actual one can depend on various factors. In most cases though, anything below 50 bpm can be considered an indication of a condition known as bradycardia, and on the other hand rates higher than 100 bpm may indicate tachycardia – more on these conditions later.

If you’re leading a life where you’re constantly training though, some lower levels could be normal for you – as a good example, Lance Armstrong, a cyclist, has a resting heart rate of about 32 bpm – quite low compared to the regular ones among adults, yet he’s completely healthy. The same goes for anyone regularly exercising, too – if you’re such a person, you’ll likely observe greatly lowered resting rates overall.

A low resting heart rate is not always healthy though – the condition bradycardia, characterized by such low rates, can lead to severe complications in your health, and even lead up to death. This is because your heart isn’t getting enough blood pumped into it, and you eventually suffer from symptoms similar to a heart attack. Other symptoms associated with a low resting heart rate are commonly running out of breath, fainting from time to time, and it can occasionally be fatal, if deep enough.

To ensure your heart isn’t headed for any complications, always go for regular check-ups at a doctor. Your personal doctor should be well-aware of your regular resting heart rate, and will be able to tell if something’s changed that should raise your suspicion. Remember, your heart is one of your most vital organs, and neglecting it could only lead to complications later on – that’s why you need to pay extra special attention to it. Don’t tell yourself that there’s nothing wrong, and just go for your regular check-ups – as annoying as they may be, they’re one of the best ways to prevent any complications in your health!

Also, it can be a good idea to buy an electronic wristwatch with an integrated heart rate monitor – those aren’t very expensive, and are commonly used by athletes to measure their body status on the go. If you can get your hands on one, this should also greatly improve your exercises as a whole, as you’ll be able to know when you’re at the peak of your performance, and likewise, when you need to pick up the pace.