We measure our pulse rate in terms of beats per minute. If you are resting you can count the beats over a full minute - however, if you have just finished exercising the rate can change quite a bit over a minute, so we suggest you could for 10 or 15 seconds and multiply the result by 6 or 4.

A lower heart rate is an indication that your body is generally fit, while well-trained athletes have a rate of well under 60. Averagely fit males tend to have a rate of about 70, with females being a little higher. If your resting pulse is over 80 (and you are an adult) it is a sign that you are pretty unfit - a good time to take this is first thing in the morning before you get up.

You take your pulse by pressing on the inside of your wrist, near your thumb, or on the side of your neck just under the jaw.

A good guide to training pulse rates is to work between 60% and 80% of your maximum, which is approximately 220 minus your age. This is a very general guideline for general fitness and varies for person to person - we'll include more detail on this shortly.

An elevated resting pulse rate is a good indicator that you are slightly under the weather (it often shows before you even feel it) and may help you decide on the level of training to do on a particular day.