Your health and fitness start with Your Heart

Know your numbers. Monitoring your heart can provide insight into how effectively your cardiovascular system is functioning. Sign up today to easily check and estimate your heart measurements: blood pressure (BP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), pulse pressure (PP), and rate pressure product (RPP). While measuring your heart is traditionally done in clinical settings, home monitoring can help assess whether your numbers are within healthy ranges, track any changes over time, and understand how your heart and blood vessels respond to rest, daily stress, and exercise recovery. 

Tracking your heart numbers helps you notice changes early, make healthier choices, stay active, and protect your heart.  Sign up as a TLMC member and access all our BP calculators, along with a free blood pressure tracking sheet to help you stay on top of your heart health.

✅Blood Pressure: Knowing your blood pressure is one of the easiest ways to understand your heart health. Whether you’re monitoring high blood pressure or just tracking your fitness progress, this number helps you see how your heart responds before, during, and after exercise. 

Why is BP monitoring important?

• Checking your BP will help you detect hypertension, which often has no symptoms.
• It helps you track your BP regularly if you are already managing high BP.
• It helps to identify patterns related to stress, sleep, diet, and activity.
• It helps prevent complications like heart attack and stroke by catching elevations early. 

Blood Pressure has two numbers: the top number (systolic) is the pressure when the heart pumps, and the bottom number (diastolic) is the pressure when the heart rests. Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg).

Blood Pressure Categories

Normal: Less than 120/80 mmHg

Elevated: 120-129 systolic and less than 80 diastolic

Hypertension Stage 1: 130-139 systolic or 80-89 diastolic

Hypertension Stage 2: 140/90 mmHg or higher 

When BP is outside the normal range, the heart may have to work harder, or blood flow to organs may be less efficient over time.

✅Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP): MAP reflects how well the cardiovascular system delivers blood to the organs and muscles. During or before exercise, MAP helps see how the heart and blood vessels respond to increased demands. MAP is a helpful way to understand your readiness to exercise and how well you recover. 

Why is MAP monitoring important? 

• MAP is helpful for people monitoring their chronic stress, dehydration, or overtraining.
• A high MAP suggests your heart is working harder than it should. 
• A MAP that is too low may indicate that your organ is not receiving enough blood circulation.

Normal MAP:  A reading between 70–100 mmHg means that blood flow to vital organs (brain, heart, kidneys) is steady and the organs are getting enough oxygen and nutrients.

Not-Normal MAP:  Below 65 mmHg means that blood flow may be too low. If MAP is above 100 mmHg, it may indicate that blood flow pressure is too high. 

To measure your MAP, you can use our MAP calculator. Record your MAP readings on the downloaded Blood Pressure Profile Log. You can track your MAP readings and share them with your healthcare provider to ensure a comprehensive assessment of your cardiovascular health. 

✅Pulse Pressure: Pulse pressure (PP) is the difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure. It tells how much oxygen the heart needs. In exercise, PP typically rises as systolic pressure increases with higher cardiac output while diastolic pressure remains relatively steady. Tracking PP helps reveal how the arteries adapt to physical activity or any other demands. 

Why is PP monitoring important?

• A wider PP reading can mean your arteries are working harder or becoming less stretchy. 
• A lower PP reading can indicate your heart isn’t pumping as much blood with each beat. 
• Tracking PP helps you see how your blood vessels respond to things like stress, hydration, movement, and aging.

Normal PP: A reading of 30–50 mmHg means the heart is pumping well and the blood vessels are flexible. 

Not-Normal PP:  A reading below 30 mmHg may indicate reduced blood flow strength, and readings above 50–60 mmHg may indicate stiffer blood vessels.

Changes in pulse pressure can give insight into blood vessel health, especially as we age.

To measure your pulse pressure, use the PP calculator. Record the values on the downloaded Blood Pressure Profile Log. You can track your PP and share it with your healthcare provider during appointments to ensure a complete assessment of your cardiovascular health.

✅Rate Pressure Product (RPP):  The rate pressure product (RPP) tells you how hard your heart is working at any moment. It is calculated from your heart rate and your top blood pressure number. This measurement is especially helpful during exercise or stressful moments.

Why is RPP monitoring important?

• The RPP tells you how intense your workouts are.
• It tells you how your heart responds to stress.
• It tells you whether you are recovering well.

The RPP range varies depending on individual factors such as age, fitness level, and overall cardiovascular health. Lower values at rest suggest your heart is working efficiently, while higher values during physical activity or exercise are normal and not dangerous in healthy individuals. 

You can learn your score using our online heart rate and RPP calculator. Record the values on the downloaded Blood Pressure Profile Log. Keep a record of your RPP readings and share them with your healthcare provider during appointments to ensure a complete assessment of your cardiovascular health.

The results by these calculators are for informational and educational purposes only. They are based on general formulas and estimations and are not intended to diagnose, treat, or predict any medical condition.

While these calculators can help you understand of your cardiovascular health and potential risk factors, they may not be entirely accurate for every individual. Factors such as age, medications, existing health conditions, and lifestyle can influence results.

Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional for personalized medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Do not rely solely on these tools to make health-related decisions.  ❤️❤️❤️