Tachometer

Most of us have grown up with the automobile as a center piece of transportation. It has provided us with the means to go anywhere at anytime. The need to take care of it is important because if at anytime it breaks down it really disrupts our normal routines. There are gauges and instruments which give us indications of how it is performing or when some maintenance is necessary. For the most part we pay attention to these each time we drive the vehicle. One such instrument is the tachometer which measures the working speed of an engine, or the rpm. There is an idle speed and there is a variable speed when the car is in motion. The human body has many ways of measuring and detecting how its operating. Pain is an indicator that something might be more serious, but there are other subtle indicators that tell us much more than we are willing to accept as vital. Your respiratory rate, blood pressure, temperature and heart rate are great indicators of how well your body is running. Yet, do we check these instruments daily. Do we check what fuel we are putting in our bodies, the fluid levels of water? All of these give crucial information to the status of the function of the body. The heart rate is probably the most underrated on the instrument panel. It equates to the tachometer in the car. The heart rate at rest is your body at idle speed. It is a true reflection of your metabolism and the efficiency of your body to maintain an energy level to meet all of its needs in the most efficient manner possible. If it is inefficient, your idle speed will be higher than normal. If it is very efficient, it will be lower than normal. Of course when you exercise, the working speed will increase to meet the increased oxygen demands of the muscles of the body. Then, when you return to idle, the heart rate should return to normal. Your heart rate is a reflection of the fuel you consume, and the exercise you perform daily. It is a reflection of your metabolism. If your metabolism is efficient, your heart rate will idle very low. If it is inefficient it will run high to meet the needs of the body. When you do not exercise, or eat healthy, your blood pressure will go up which necessitates a higher heart rate to pump the amount of blood per minute to an area. The average heart rate is 72 beats per minute. If someone has a heart rate of 48, then there must be someone else who has a heart rate of 96. Adding the two and dividing by 2 equals 72. The person who has a resting heart rate of 96 has twice the beats per minute as someone with 48. This means that 2 people with the same body type can have different heart rates, but the person with 96 has twice as many heart beats over the course of time as the person with 48. The heart is working twice as hard to get the same amount of blood to the same area in the same time frame. This is extremely stressful for the heart in the long run. It is idling high and working overtime. If you spend just 15 minutes a day elevating your heart rate with exercise, and you stay away from foods that elevate your heart rate and blood pressure, you can reduce your heart rate. Pay attention to your personal tachometer, your heart rate. This is your pulse. In order to have a pulse on what is going on with your body, just pay attention everyday to what the instrument is telling you. If your engine is running high it is time for a tune up. Take a walk, climb stairs, ride a bike. Do something, don't just let the engine burn out. Be proactive now. You don't want the engine to shut off.