Often the point of exercise is to get your heart rate up; however, you need to keep it within safe limits. Letting your heart rate get too high for too long can harm your body and make you feel nauseous.

A drop in your heart rate after you finish exercising is to be expected, since working out elevates your heart rate. But if your heart rate drops while exercising, or remains elevated after you’re done, you could have a cardiovascular problem that warrants medical attention.

Normally, an adult's heart beats 60 to 100 times per minute. You may experience an occasional sudden increase in heart rate that resolves within a few minutes. This is known as a heart palpitation, and it is usually not harmful.

Young children are famously active, running circles around their parents and other adults. But as they grow older they tend to slow down. During the teen years, boys often stop getting an ample amount of exercise because of the pull of TV, video games and computers.

If your doctor has ordered a stress test, you will be exercising on a treadmill -- right in the middle of the exam room. A stress test is designed to measure the activity of your heart as you exercise.

When you exercise, you may feel like your heart is racing afterward. This is because exercise causes your body to work harder and signals your heart to pump blood faster to your muscles.

The more fit you are, the lower your resting heart rate will be. Most people have a resting heart rate that falls between 60 and 90 beats per minute, according to Dr. Howard LeWine, Chief Medical Editor for Harvard Health Publications.

A normal heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute. A person who is very athletic, however, may have a heart rate as low as 40 beats per minute.

Many people choose dancing as a way to burn calories, strengthen muscle and meet other people. Your heart rate responds to the muscles you use and the work you are doing while dancing, although this activity is sometimes entertaining enough that it doesn't feel like a workout.

Cardiovascular or aerobic exercise increases the heart rate, which delivers oxygenated blood to the lunges and muscles. Cardio provides several health benefits like increased stamina, improved immune system function, a stronger heart and fat loss.

Your resting heart rate is a good indicator of your cardiovascular health, because it reflects how hard your heart has to work to satisfy to the oxygen needs of the cells throughout your body.

Just as a baby’s body size and shape change dramatically during the fetal period, her heart rate also changes with gestational age. As a baby grows in the womb and develops features for life after birth, her heart rate will change to reflect this.