Ultra-Processed Foods and The Harm It Can Do To You

The article will discuss ultra-processed foods, how they may affect health,

 and how to make better food choices.

Ultra-processed foods are snacks, breakfast cereals, ready-made meals, 

and desserts, which are mostly made of chemically modified substances extracted 

from food, including sugar, salt, fat, artificial colors and flavors, and 

preservatives.1 These foods typically contain minimal whole foods and 

only low amounts of vitamins and minerals. Consuming too much 

ultra-processed food could have health consequences. This is mainly due

 to the extra, modified ingredients they contain. 

The purpose of ultra-processing is to create convenient, durable, and 

ready-to-consume foods. These foods are often made of low-cost ingredients, 

packaged attractively, and heavily marketed.

These foods are considered natural foods and include edible parts of plants 

and animals. They are either unprocessed or minimally processed in a way 

that preserves their natural state. Their processes include cleaning, grinding, 

refrigerating, pasteurizing, freezing, fermenting, and packaging.

Most of these foods can be prepared or cooked at home or in a restaurant 

setting. Such foods include fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, grains, 

meat, milk, and herbs. 

Processed culinary ingredients include butter, oils, sugar, and salt. 

They are derived from nature through various processes, including refining, 

pressing, grinding, or drying. By processing these ingredients, they become 

more suitable for home and restaurant use and can be used in various dishes, 

including stews and soups, bread, drinks, and desserts. Culinary ingredients 

are not meant to be consumed alone and are typically used with group 1 foods. 

Category 3 includes canned vegetables, fish and meats, fruit in syrup, cheese, 

and freshly made bread that are made using ingredients from groups 1 and 2. 

These foods are processed using preservation or cooking techniques and have 

added salts, sugars, and fats.

Most foods in Group 3 consist of two or more ingredients and tend to be 

modified versions of foods from Group 1. They can be eaten on their own or 

combined with other foods. The purpose of processing them is to modify or

enhance their taste, texture, and durability.

Foods in group 4 undergo industrial processes. While containing minimal 

whole foods, they also contain additives, salt, sugar, and oils. They include 

energy sources and nutrients outside of culinary preparations, leaving very 

little intact of their group 1 states.

To Summarize,

Processed foods are Grouped by how or what they are made from. Group 1 

is the best of the processed foods category. Group 2 is not quite as nutritious 

and Group 3 is not quite as good as Group 2. Group 4 {known as ultra-processed}

is the worst of all and the only reason only reason it's called food is because 

you can eat it but there isn't any nutrition because the processing has destroyed

any nutrition that might have been in the whole grains or anything else.

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on 

the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my

 e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is 

available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites 

below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to

lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or 

Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. 

Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the 

home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on 

the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

The Secret To Losing Body Is "Don't Diet"

 Did you ever wonder how people in some European countries manage to stay thin? When I was in Europe I didn’t see any low-calorie food. Restaurants had no diet food or low-calorie meals. But very few people were what we call obese. I’ve personally been to more than 15 European countries and normal people are in better shape than American.

I read a non-diet book last year “The Secret of Eating” where the author explains that diets don’t work. This is a weight loss book about how this woman had gained 20 pounds while going to school in the States and then lost the weight when returning to France, her home country. She goes on to say that in France women don’t get fat. In the States when she was going to school the portions of food were too large and foods were too sweet. That's true in the U.S. all the remade food we buy has too much sugar and salt. We are addicted to sugar in North America. That is causing our health problems. Yes, the food choices we have in the stores and restaurants we frequent are causing our health problems cut short our life expectancy. Did you know that science has proof that millions of years ago humans lived as long as 150 years and some as long as 180 years.

When returning to Europe she returned to eating the way she grew up. In Europe, women eat sensibly. Good food of very high quality and eaten in small portions. Good food does not mean good tasting, it means food of good quality. You can eat anything you like but eat food of good quality, high in nutritional value. Small portions eaten slowly are better for you and are satisfying. In the States, people eat too fast, and we’re always in a hurry to get somewhere. Eat on the run, I see people eat while driving every day. Woman feed their children in the car while driving them somewhere. Drive-thru windows are so crowded they should have a gas pump halfway to the window. Sometimes I spend 20 minutes in line for coffee.

You know it wasn’t always this way. Families used to eat together. At school, all the kids eat together in the cafeteria. But at home, we eat individually when we’re hungry. Maybe that’s why families eat out more. At least you can get everyone at the table at the same time.

This plan is for anyone who has trouble sticking to a diet plan. “Don’t Get Fat” is a 3-month plan meant to reset your body for a lifetime of healthy weight through slow, gradual weight loss. She goes on to say that many people will love the plan because there are no fitness classes but instead plenty of daily activity and lots of walking.

To jump-start your diet you begin with two days of leek soup. It cleanses the system so you can start out on empty. Followed by meat or fish, vegetables, and a piece of fruit. Drink water with meals, and be careful of bottled drinks or any drinks with sugar or sweeteners, those are empty calories. In the beginning, keep a food journal. While you're losing weight you need to evaluate your diet and identify excess calories. You will be able to eat anything after you reach your goal. A big part of reaching that goal is to learn to eat smaller portions. You may want to start by eating 4 or 5 meals a day about 3 hours apart. At night I snack on yogurt, low-fat Greek yogurt is filling. You can eat yogurt 2 or 3 times a day, a great snack full of calcium and protein. Almonds are a good snack in the afternoon.

So the lesson here is if you change what you eat, how you eat, and be more active you’ll lose weight. I’ll give you a tip, don’t worry about losing weight, concentrate on losing fat. After you lose two pants sizes, you’ll be a believer.

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

Why Can't I Lose My Belly Fat ?

 Good Question!! I wrestled with this very thing for years. I didn't realize that the body has to burn calories to create energy for all body functions. The body has choices on what to burn and it always picks the easiest material in the body. Why you might ask. 

Part because the body wants to burn the most calories with the least amount of calories. In other words, the body doesn't want to burn more than necessary to give you the energy you need. The body's main job is to preserve life. So it uses precious calories to burn calories for your energy. Say it has to burn 100 calories because you are walking. It doesn't want to use 20 calories more to create the energy to burn 100 calories. So it picks the easiest way and the best material to burn.

In the case of the average American, the easiest material to burn is sugar. Almost everything we eat contains sugar. Your body will simply wait until you eat something and then take that sugar and burn those calories for energy. The problem is that this type of energy doesn't last very long. In a couple hours, you run out of energy and you become tied.

I had to train my body to burn stored fat. The fat you have in your fat cells. I had to stop eating and drinking sugar. That's not easy, almost everything we eat or drink contains sugar or some form of sugar. Most food or drinks today have food labels and the label tells you what's in the food or drink. But natural sugars are also in fruits and vegetables. You can't avoid all-natural sugars but you can avoid things with a high level of sugar such as apples.

By avoiding as much sugar as possible you will force the body to burn body fat. It will take about 2 weeks for your body to make the change. After that, you will be burning body fat to create energy. You will feel much better and have more energy and you will lose the cravings. 

Another tip, I eat two meals a day about 6 or 7 hours apart, and nothing else all day long. It's called intermittent eating. The 16 or so hours you aren't eating the body keeps burning fat.

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

What Is Your Macro?

I know it seems like every day there are new terms for everything we do. Ever since weight loss has become a science, your doctor would tell you to lose some weight. You need to eat less and exercise more. Most of the time that would go in one ear and out the other. Only to give you temporary results. But now there is more science around losing weight and there are results to prove it. 

Believe this or not, those people who order their food online claim they buy less food, eat better, save money, and lose weight. It's kind of like the woman who sends her husband with a list to do the shopping. He buys everything on the list and comes home. Most men don't browse the alies. 

Losing body fat is not about eating less, it's about eating the right foods. Macro is one of those new words that pertain to your eating habits.

What’s a “macro”? In this case, it means getting all the nutrition you can in the least amount of calories. Maximize your meals. It's the whole idea behind losing weight. 

We always hear that we need to eat 3 well-rounded meals per day; breakfast, lunch & dinner. But what our bodies and metabolisms tell us, is that we need to be eating 5 – 6 small meals per day, essentially making each meal a “snack.” Also, be sure to be eating every 2 – 3 hours to keep your metabolism boosted throughout the day! Now I have my breakfast foods at breakfast time (within 45 minutes of waking up) and I have my dinner foods at dinner time (chicken, rice, vegetables), but I also eat less of them at one time and spread them out throughout the day. I’ve recently seen an article that states you should not eat more than 400 – 500 calories in one sitting. This makes sense if you’re eating 6 times per day!

My Calorie Intake (estimate) Breakdown

Breakfast: 194 calories + Green Tea

Snack: 202 calories

Lunch: 325 calories + Green Tea

Snack: 156 calories

Dinner: 358 calories + Green Tea

Dessert: 169 calories

Daily Calorie Intake = 1,404 calories

If you need help calculating what you should be eating, there are a lot of macro calculators out on the internet. The problem is they give different numbers. In fact, I got different numbers for TDEE, BMR, and Macros from almost every calculator. This makes it difficult to understand what exactly you are supposed to be doing. Unfortunately, I don’t have a good answer or solution to this problem right now, except to use a few different calculators and find values that make sense based on all the given values. Here are a few calculators I used to find my current macros.

The Healthy Eater

IIFYM

KatyHearnFit

BodyBuilding.com

FBG Girls

MuscleForLife

Keep in mind, that just because 2 calculators say the same thing, does not mean you should automatically use that count. It could simply mean they used the same formulas.

Now It’s important to stick as close as possible to your calorie goals to see the results that you want, but it’s also really important to eat when your body tells you it’s hungry (when it needs more nutrients). It’s also important to know when you are hungry and when you need water! If I’m between meals/snacks then I’ll drink half of my CamelBak water bottle and eat up to 5 almonds. That will usually tell me if I’m actually hungry. On the other hand, don’t stuff yourself sick. If you’re not hungry but you have more calories for the day than you are supposed to consume, it’s okay. If this happens repeatedly re-evaluate when you are eating throughout the day, maybe you are eating too little calories in the morning? It’s also smart to recalculate your macros every once in a while. Your intake needs to change as your body and goals change!

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

Skipping Meals Promotes Belly Fat

 Skipping Meals Promotes Belly Fat Storage, Increases Risk For Insulin Resistance

I want to reblog this article because this is a common mistake that everyone makes when they first think about losing weight. I was the same way. When I first began my weight loss journey, I thought If I skipped Lunch I could save all those calories. I will certainly lose weight. Wrong!! I ended up snacking more and eating more at dinner. Dinner is the worst time to eat a big meal. I learned the hard way to eat most of my calories at breakfast and lunch and then skimp on calories at dinner. I had to allow enough time for all my food to digest before nighttime when the body goes into hibernation mode.

The author Justin Caba writes for MedicalDaily.com where you can always find valuable information.

Skipping meals leads to abdominal weight gain. Beginners have a hard time grasping that concept. It’s not usually the amount of food you eat that puts fat on your body. It’s the kind of food you eat. Eating less of a bad diet is still a bad diet and you won’t lose fat. You can lose weight without losing fat, but that’s why people gain the weight back. Too much body fat is different for everyone. Your “body mass” is about 80% of your total weight. The rest is bones and organs and the contents of the digestive system. Your body retains about three days of food. Anyway, if too much of your body mass is stored fat, if the percentage of fat is too high, then losing weight will only cause you to increase the percentage of body fat.

The trick is to forget the scale and find a diet of fresh foods, eat frequently but in small amounts about every three hours 5 or 6 times a day. Get all your meals in before 6:00 and then stop eating. Don’t drink calories and in 3 months you’ll see a difference. When you can reward yourself with a new pair of smaller jeans you’ll start to smile again.

Anyone looking to lose weight knows they have to restrict the amount of calories they consume, but how much and when they restrict those calories can make all the difference. A recent study conducted at Ohio State University has revealed that skipping meals not only leads to abdominal weight gain but can also lead to the development of insulin resistance in the liver. That means the next step for you is diabetes.

“This does support the notion that small meals throughout the day can be helpful for weight loss, though that may not be practical for many people,” said Martha Belury, professor of human nutrition at Ohio State University. “But you definitely don’t want to skip meals to save calories because it sets your body up for larger fluctuations in insulin and glucose and could be setting you up for more fat gain instead of fat loss.”

So, no matter the reason, skipping meals is depriving the body of essential nutrients.

Source: Kliewer K, Ke J, Belury M, et al.

The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

New Healthier Foods Coming To A Store Near You

 In the blog section of WebMd I found this post about the new food trends you’ll see coming soon. I think it’s about time we see more variety in healthy foods. This post is worth a read. I'm sure that you have heard of these and read about these foods before but now and maybe this year you'll be these in grocery stores near you. When a food becomes popular like for instants Susi it will become a mainstay in Grocery stores.  

 It’s time to usher in the latest food trends that will soon hit restaurants and grocery store shelves. With more of us paying attention to the environment and our health, food manufacturers are responding by offering more innovative, plant-forward foods that are better for people and the planet. Get ready for seaweed, algae, fungi and other plant-based edibles that will delight your taste buds. 

Here’s a sneak peek at the healthy trendsetters:

Seaweed

Tired of kale? Seaweed is here to help … and dazzle your palate with rich flavors and nutrients. Seaweed is low in calories and fat and provides several essential nutrients including vitamins A and C, B vitamins, fiber, iron, iodine, zinc and magnesium. A fixture in Asian cuisine for centuries, seaweed has been growing in popularity in the U.S. and is now poised to be the next trendy superfood. In fact, some estimates project that seaweed will surpass kale-based snacks. I saw seaweed in my grocery.

Wondering how to infuse seaweed into your diet? This new year, ditch the greasy potato chips and opt instead for a tasty seaweed snack. Annie Chun’s Organic Roasted Nori Snacks have 25 to 30 calories per serving compared to 150 to 160 calories in most fried chips. As a bonus, preliminary research suggests compounds in seaweed may even quell hunger.

Blended Burgers

A good burger is always on trend, but with more emphasis on healthier, sustainable eating, top chefs are reinventing the burger to be more eco-friendly … and delicious!

The James Beard Foundation’s Blended Burger Project calls for chefs across the country to blend at least 25% fresh chopped mushrooms into a burger patty. Blended burgers combine finely chopped mushrooms with meat, creating a burger that’s tastier, healthier, and more sustainable than all-meat burgers. So far, the blended burger has been adopted by some of nation’s most creative and adventurous chefs and the food service industry, according to Kristopher Moon, vice president of the James Beard Foundation. In addition to restaurants, many leading universities and public schools offer blended burgers on their menus too. This might be something you can do at home.

Algae

To create a healthier and greener food system, innovative companies have developed plant-based protein and fats to replace resource-intensive dairy and meat ingredients. Nutrient-rich algae, made from a resource-efficient fermentation process, is the hot new plant-based ingredient that is being used to replace animal-based ingredients. For instance, TerraVia’s lipid-rich whole algae, which is high in beneficial monounsaturated fat and low in saturated fat, can replace eggs, cream, and butter in baked goods, sauces, dressings, and ice cream without affecting the taste or texture. Algae-based foods are now in every aisle of the supermarket — from baked goods and snacks to salad dressings and smoothies.

Pasta

After years of slipping sales during the height of the low-carb craze, pasta is back on the plate – and it’s better than ever. Based on Google data search trends, more consumers are buying, preparing, or ordering pasta in all its forms, including rigatoni, tortellini, penne, fusilli, and linguine. Pasta can be a healthy and earth-friendly choice because it’s a key component of the Mediterranean diet, which is considered the gold standard for healthy eating, and it has a small environmental footprint. Since pasta is made from semolina, a protein-packed wheat variety, a 200-calorie cup of cooked pasta has 6 grams of protein and a low glycemic index to help keep you fuller, longer.

Looking to make a satisfying, health-conscious meal in minutes? Add this Angel Hair with Tomato Basil and Peppers to your menu this summer.

Also, you probably haven’t heard much about it but bug, worms are other insects will be next. Other countries that have experimented with these tiny critters and found they are loaded with nutrients. In Africa and the Far East they are a major supply of protein for the masses. I think we will see more and more bugs and worms in our stores as they become more popular.

Follow me on Twitter or X @ray0369

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want to Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.

If you really want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 

There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want to Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Resting Heart Rate

 That means your pulse after sitting and relaxing for a few months.

The normal resting heart rate varies by age. In adults, a resting heart rate of 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm) is generally considered normal.1 Babies and young children have higher resting heart rates than older kids, teens, and adults.

Resting heart rate is your heart rate while at rest. It serves as an indication of your general fitness. A lower resting heart rate generally indicates a higher degree of fitness. Even so, certain medical conditions can cause an abnormally low or high resting heart rate.

This article explains what the resting heart rate should be for different age groups, how it is measured, and what low or high resting heart rates say about your health.

Normal Resting Heart Rate by Age

From birth to adulthood, the resting heart rate varies. In babies and children, the rate is generally higher, mainly because their hearts are smaller. The rate will gradually decrease until age 10 when the expected range of values will stabilize through adulthood.

The resting heart rate range, measured in bpm, is the expected range of values seen in 95% of people in that age group.2

 Age Resting Heart Rate Range 

0–1 month 70-190 bpm

1–11 months 80-160 bpm

1-2 years 80-130 bpm

3–4 years 80-120 bpm

5–6 years 75-115 bpm

7–9 years 70-110 bpm

10 years and older 60-100 bpm

Well-trained athlete 40-60 bpm

How to Measure Your Heart Rate

Though there are smartwatches and heart rate monitors able to measure your heart rate automatically, all you really need is a watch with a second hand. To get an accurate resting heart rate reading, you need to be at rest.

To measure your heart rate, place a finger over your radial artery or carotid artery. The radial artery is found at the base of the wrist on the side of the thumb. The carotid artery is found on the neck to the side of the windpipe, just under the jaw.

Once you have located the artery, place your index and middle fingers over it and count the number of pulses you feel in one minute. (A quicker method is to count the number of beats over 15 seconds and multiply this by four to determine beats per minute.)1

Common Mistakes

Certain things can increase your resting heart rate and throw off your reading, including:

Having just exercised

Walking or doing physical activity

Smoking a cigarette

Eating a big meal

Drinking a lot of caffeine

Feeling stressed

If you're doing or feeling any of these things, it is best to wait an hour or two before measuring your heart rate to get the most accurate reading.

What Causes a Low Resting Heart Rate?

A lower-than-normal resting heart rate is called bradycardia. Having a low heart rate is not necessarily a bad thing. Performance athletes like long-distance runners, for example, can have a resting heart rate in the low 40s and still be considered healthy.

However, for most people, a low heart rate may be a sign of a problem, especially when accompanied by Lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting

Weakness

Fatigue

Shortness of breath

Confusion

There are many different causes of bradycardia, including:3

A congenital heart defect

Heart block (caused by problems with the heart's electrical system)

Heart damage caused by a heart attack or heart disease

Hypercalcemia (abnormally high blood calcium)

Hyperkalemia (abnormally high blood potassium)

Hyperparathyroidism (overactive parathyroid gland)

Hyponatremia (low blood sodium)

Hypothermia (low body temperature due to exposure to cold)

Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)

Intracranial pressure (increased pressure under the skull)

Lupus (an inflammatory autoimmune disease)

Myocarditis (heart muscle inflammation)

Obstructive sleep apnea (gaps in breathing during sleep)

Sick sinus syndrome (a heart rhythm problem common in adults over 70)

Certain medications like sedatives, opioid drugs, beta-blockers, and calcium channel blockers

What Causes a High Resting Heart Rate?

A heart rate higher than 100 bpm is called tachycardia. Aside from recent exercise, many medical conditions are associated with tachycardia, including:

Anemia (low red blood cells)

Being overweight or having obesity

Dehydration

Fever

Heavy alcohol use or alcohol withdrawal

Heart failure (where the heart is less able to pump blood)

High levels of anxiety

Hypocalcemia (abnormally low blood calcium)

Hypokalemia (abnormally low blood potassium)

Hypoparathyroidism (underactive parathyroid gland)

Hypotension (low blood pressure)

Hypertension (high blood pressure)

Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid)

Smoking tobacco

Stimulations like caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, and crystal methamphetamine

Serious Causes of Tachycardia

Some potentially life-threatening conditions can also cause a high resting heart rate, including:

Pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in an artery of the lung)

Sepsis (a potentially life-threatening complication of an infection)

Ventricular tachycardia (rapid heartbeat in the lower chamber of the heart)

Seek immediate medical help if you have rapid heartbeats accompanied by chest pain, difficulty breathing, dizziness, or fainting.

How to Lower Your Resting Heart Rate

You can lower your resting heart rate by improving your physical fitness and making some lifestyle changes. Regular cardio exercise (like running, swimming, or biking) trains the heart to become more efficient over time.

In addition to exercise, other lifestyle modifications may improve your resting heart rate, including:

Quitting cigarettes

Cutting back on alcohol

Reducing your caffeine intake

Getting plenty of sleep

Losing weight if you are obese

Managing stress with meditation, yoga, or breathing exercises

The aim is to improve what is known as your target heart rate zone. This is your heart rate during moderate-intensity activities (defined as 50% to 85% of your maximum heart rate).

The target heart rate zone and maximum heart rate vary by a person's age.

 Age (years) Target Heart Rate Zone (50-85%) Maximum Heart Rate (100%) 

20 100-170 bpm 200 bpm

30 95-162 bpm 190 bpm

35 93-157 bpm 185 bpm

40 90-153 bpm 180 bpm

45 88-149 bpm 175 bpm

50 85-145 bpm 170 bpm

55 83-140 bpm 165 bpm

60 80-136 bpm 160 bpm

65 78-132 bpm 155 bpm

70 75-128 bmp 150 bpm

 How to Lower Your Heart Rate

Summary

Your resting heart rate is an indicator of your general fitness, with lower values associated with better health outcomes. For most adults, the normal resting heart rate is 60–100 bpm. It can be even lower in athletes or people who regularly engage in strenuous physical activity.

People can improve their resting heart rate by routinely exercising, quitting smoking, reducing alcohol and caffeine intake, and managing stress.

By Angela Ryan Lee, MD

Follow me on X, the former Twitter, @ray0369 to get a link to my latest posts.

If you want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. 

Look for my first book at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page. 

Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.