We Got The Beat: What To Know About Your Heart Rate 📈❤️

Drink your coffee and let the beat drop

4 min read

YOUR AVERAGE JOE

Fat bad? Fat good. Carbs bad? Carbs good. Wellness whiplash is a real thing, but happily, everyone seems to agree that coffee is a benefit to your health – with certain caveats, i.e. what time it’s consumed (before 2pm) for better sleep, and ideal brewing methods to manage cholesterol. But the consensus is that every day is AOK for long term health. A recent study of almost 50,000 women, a huge cohort for any study of this nature, showed a significant link between daily coffee consumption and living longer with lower risk of chronic disease. ☕️🩷 Coffee good.

Grab a mug and drink up, I know where you can get a cute one….👀

alltoowellbyerica.printful.me

HERE’S A LITTLE NUMBER

We’re throwing lots and lots of metrics around in wellness-speak lately. And while you might be inclined to tune them out, I’m here to help point you towards the ones worth remembering. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Resting Heart Rate (RHR) are both critical to understanding cardiovascular health, and also play a key role in indicating overall body health. Let’s break it down:

• RHR indicates the number of heartbeats per minute when you are in a state of rest. LOWER is better here – for healthy adults, the benchmark range is 60-100 beats per minute, with men generally lower in the range, and athletes and very fit adults measuring as low as 40-50 (husband is flexing right about now). RHR changes daily, influenced by factors like stress and physical activity, and can be an early indicator of the onset of illness, fever, etc. It’s a great number to become familiar with and track daily.

• HRV measures the variation in the time between your heartbeats, indicating the autonomic nervous system’s ability to adapt. While this number changes moment-to-moment, HIGHER is better here; more time between beats suggests a lower heart rate. Most healthy adults have an average HRV of 42 milliseconds, but there’s no universal target here – the most important measure it to compare against your own baseline. HRV is a good marker of overall fitness: a healthier body is able to adjust and adapt to a wider range of outside factors.

Often there is an inverse relationship between the two, i.e. as RHR goes down ⤵️, overall fitness improves, indicated by a higher HRV ⤴️.

Good news: these metrics are simple to capture without a trip to the doctor’s office. A fitness tracker like a Whoop band, Apple watch or Oura ring can give you a quick snapshot of each and keep track on your own.

File under follow your heart. ❤️

Photo by Till W. on Unsplash

YOUNG MD

Millennials and Gen Xers have gotten pretty savvy at modernizing our parents’ products, services and general ways of doing things (see under: menopause care, hair growth supplements, functional foods and beverages). But we are basically senior citizens as far as Gen Z is concerned – just wait til you have your first appointment with a doctor under age 28. Scroll here for a hilarious roundup of encounters with Gen Z doctors. I believe the children are our future.

PSA: YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND

❤️‍🩹 In the aftermath of the devastating floods in Texas, here’s how you can support our friends there:

• Austin restaurants donating 100% of proceeds: All locations of Juiceland on Saturday; Thai Fresh, ATX Cocina, Salty Sow and Roaring Fork on Sunday. Good Vibrations Pizza through Sunday.

• Wilco Cares - Support July 2025 Flood Victims. Fund managed by Central Texas Community Foundation.

• Kerr County, Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country.

• Texas Children's Central Texas Hope Fund. Administered by Texas Children's Hospital. The hospital's North Austin location is also collecting new baby items including diapers, wipes and formula.

• Austin Pets Alive! The nonprofit has been raising money for pet transports. It is also collecting dog and cat carriers, dog and cat food, flea and tick prevention medicines, and cleaning supplies at its downtown shelters. They can provide assistance for those needing supplies, reach out to them at Xfloodresponse@Austinpetsalive.org.

Happy weekend, all. Dance to the beat, it’s Friday.