Running Head: THE CONTROL OF HEART RATE

The Control of Heart Rate by the Use of Cognition

During Exercise

Rafael Meneses

Florida International University

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It is widely known that during exercise, the body gets accustomed in many ways

such as increasing its heart rate. Many people also see heart rate as something that simply

fluctuates throughout activity without any control whatsoever due to the body’s

autonomic response. But according to some types of meditation and exercise, the body’s

heart rate can be controlled. Studies such as Putal Jin’s Tai Chi experiment have revealed

that through the use of cognition and meditation, there have been findings that Tai Chi, a

meditation exercise style created by the Chinese, can actually produce effects on heart

rate (1988). Other studies have shown that different mental activities can actually alter

heart rate therefore, according to Bernardi et al. (2000), specific thoughts can induce

control over personal heart rate. Tai Chi exercise is not intense but it is not mild either; it

is an exercise intended to maintain wellness and to preserve tranquility during exercise

and to maintain heart rate and bodily functions at a specific level. The issue here is that

very few exercises can boast this feature as most exercise types, especially cardio, can

make heart rate levels spike. Maintaining a low heart rate during exercise is difficult; this

is where the experiment will come in.

There are many things that can affect heart rate. According to Lechin et al.

(1995), things like mood and mood disorders during exercise can affect heart rate. Turner

and Carroll also pointed out that heart rate can change during moments of high cognitive

load such as arithmetic and video games (2007). These are other studies that can easily

show that thoughts can play an important role when it comes to heart rate. With these

studies in mind there is room to believe that it is possible to control heart rate when given

specific instruction (such as following the rules to proper Tai Chi form) followed by

proper cognition.
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The experiment will rely heavily in finding if it is possible to relax during

exercise. Relaxation is always needed in every day life to prevent bodily harm due to

stress. Since physical activity is considered a type of stressor, relaxation during this type

of activity can possibly better a person’s health. According to Dishman, exercise can be

used in many ways and can even provide effects similar to therapy (1985). Since exercise

can be used as mental therapy, coupling it with proper relaxation methods, even during

intense exercise, increases the possibility of reaping additional benefits from exercise.

Benefits of proper relaxation during exercise can include better endurance in exercise

(with proper breathing technique) and, according to Chandra Patel (2003), can be used as

treatment for hypertension and can help in lowering blood pressure. Relaxation can even

help build up strength and pace during exercise. If a person’s heart rate is too high at any

given moment, that person will become exhausted. If that heart rate can be achieved and

properly lowered during said exercise, then the same pace can be kept at a more relaxing

state. This can help the athlete achieve a higher pace in exercise without necessarily

maxing out their heart rate.

This research will try to demonstrate that it is likely to lower a participant’s heart

rate by giving him/her cognitive instruction while doing moderate to moderately intense

exercise. The experiment will primarily focus on the heart rate of the participants and all

changes will be monitored during exercise, not before or after. The main goal is to define

if relaxation can occur during strenuous exercise by using cognition and any means of

thought use and concentration as a relaxation method. The hypothesis involved in the

study predicts that participants will be able to lower their heart rate by a small yet
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significant amount during different types of exercise. It is predicted that more intense

exercise will yield less results but will still have a note able difference in heart rate.

The experimentation will include different groups of participants and will include

different forms of exercise on machines. It is important to make sure that the type of

exercise is not limited in this experiment. Heart healthy participants and participants who

are not at risk of injury during exercise due to any unusual changes in personal exercise

curriculum will be a necessity. The participants’ will have their heart rates measured and,

depending on the group, will be shown their respective heart rate. Heart rates of

participants will be measured in reference to thresholds that will vary with each

participant. For example, a 19-year-old participant has a Fat burning zone at 50-65% of

his/her resting heart rate and an anaerobic threshold zone at 85-100% of average heart

rate. Older participants will have lower thresholds due to less bodily demands of exercise.

These heart rate thresholds are calculated as followed:

Target heart rate zone: 220 – age = X; X * .55 (percent of heart rate) = low end of

threshold; X * .90 (percent of heart rate) = high end

For this person to be in the “fat burn” zone, he/she would have to stay between 55% and

roughly around the 70% zone of the resting heart rate. For cardio, the threshold is above

that and until the 85%; anything above that is an anaerobic workout.

It is crucial to the study to avoid any participants from reaching their anaerobic

threshold. Once the body is in anaerobic exercise, it is difficult to maintain concentration,

the blood flow in the body increases and the body hunts for oxygen in the blood. A
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reduction of heart rate during this state may be dangerous, as the body requires blood to

be pumped at a higher rate to survive since oxygen levels are already depleted. This type

of exercise will be avoided to ensure the safety of all participants.

The partakers of the study will be of ages 15-50 to ensure proper generalization to

the rest of the population. This will also test if there is in fact possible control over heart

rate that the participants of different age groups will have different outcomes depending

on concentration. The participants need to be free of any heart problems and need to be

overall healthy. They have to be fit enough to withstand at least 15 minutes of moderate

exercise without aches or pains. They do not have to be professional athletes or extremely

fit; as long as the participants can properly do the exercise, then they are allowed to

participate.

To assure that all these participants are treated fairly, they will be receiving a

medical screening to assign them to their respective groups. We cannot have a participant

who is slightly under shape to participate in more intense exercise. A more athletic

person will be in the more intense exercise and those not accustomed to exercise will be

placed in the moderate intensity exercise group. Once the 40 participant limit for

moderately intense exercise is achieved, then the remaining participants will be placed in

the moderate intensity exercise group.

The predictions of this study are simple. It is anticipated that, according to the

research done in the past, it will be possible to lower one’s heart rate during exercise.

Heart rate control will also be expected to vary depending on the type of exercise and the
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intensity. More intense exercises will most likely offer less range of heart rate control due

to the amount of stress on the exerciser.

Hopefully, this study can be used to aid people to relax more efficiently in the

future. Meditation and relaxation are just as important as exercise for overall wellness as

it provides great benefits on reducing stress and helping other bodily functions therefore

combining the two should provide even greater health benefits. This experiment will help

benefit all of those who are currently on an exercise program who are considering a new

one that will help better their lifestyle.

Methods

Participants

There will be a total of 80 participants that will be randomly assigned to groups

and IV’s. Of those 80, there should be an even cutoff between male and female. Most

participants would most likely be Hispanic due to the location of the study and will most

likely have a mean age of 30. Participants will first be examined to make sure they are

healthy enough for the study. Those who are more fit will participate in more intense

exercise and those who are slightly under shape will participate in moderate exercise.

Measures

There will be various types of instructions that will be given within six different

groups of participants to observe their heart rates. All participants will be in the 15-50

year-old age range and must be healthy males and females without any history of serious
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medical issues. The 80 participants in the above groups will be placed on different

machines providing different forms of exercise. The machines included will be elliptical

exercise machines, treadmills and the bicycle machines. The elliptical machines consist

of exercise that imitate running and stair climbing in a circular, standing motion. This

will help relax the participants slightly as this may aid some of those who have difficulty

doing other exercises that cause pressure on the joints. The treadmills will be used for

power walking, jogging and moderate running purposes. The bicycle machine will be

used for a more muscular exercise, as it requires more power from the leg muscles when

compared to other machines. These variations of exercises will be used to determine

whether different workouts will allow easier control over heart rate since some machines

are known to be more intense than others. More importantly, though, the various

machines will be used to generalize heart rate control to all types of exercise.

The participants’ heart rates will be measured in a variety of ways to establish

accuracy and avoid the possibility of having heart rate scores scattered. The first method

of acquiring a heart rate will be done manually by placing the index and middle fingers

on the participant’s wrist and jugular area. The beats will be counted for 15 seconds and

multiplied by four to achieve the beats per minute (BPM). The second method will be

applied by using the provided heart rate monitor on the exercise machines. This method

is, so far, the most convenient method as it displays the heart rate on the machine’s

screen. The third method will use a dedicated heart rate monitor that will be strapped to

the participant’s chest and have the heart rate displayed on a digital watch. The last

method will be done using the “Instant Heart Rate” application on the Droid operating

system phones. The application uses the phone’s camera light source placed on the
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participant’s index finger to indicate a color change in the finger. These changes in color

are the product of a light source shone straight on the finger when blood passes through

the finger’s veins. These four methods will be used to establish the heart rate and will

then be averaged in the end to achieve a final heart rate score. These are some of the

ways that someone’s heart rate can be recorded but these were picked due to popularity,

efficiency and practicality.

Procedure

All participants will be recruited through a signup system online that offers a

variety of experiments to sign up for. We will also be sending out research assistants to

announce the study and recruit people who are interested. 40 participants from all the

conditions will be randomly placed on these machines for Moderate exercise and the

other 40 will be placed on the same machines for a moderately intense exercise. These

participants will follow to receive a consent form ensuring that they agree to all aspects

of the study.

In all three conditions (experimental, placebo and control groups), there will be

20-30 participants. One group, the experimental group, will be placed on a random

exercise machine and put on a moderate intensity of exercise. This group of participants

will be able to see their respective heart rates during exercise and will be placed at an

intensity that will keep them at about 2-3% over the lower limit of the fat burn zone; they

will be instructed to lower their heart rates down to the lower limit of the fat burn zone by

any cognitive means necessary such as meditating, clearing thoughts from the mind, etc.

The control group will be placed in the same conditions but will not be shown their heart
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rates; the participants in this group will also be instructed to try to lower their hear rates.

Lastly, the placebo group will not be shown the heart rates and maintain identical

conditions but will be told that their heart rates have lowered after being instructed. The

placebo group will be used as a quality control group. This group is to make sure that any

verbal instruction or any type of extraneous variable is not interfering with the results. All

of these conditions will be applied to the more intense exercise groups. The next three

groups will undergo more strenuous exercise and will be maintained 2-3% over the lower

limit of the cardio threshold. Participants will exercise for 15-30 minutes (15 minutes for

more intense exercises and 30 minutes for the moderate exercises) and have their heart

rates measured every 3-5 minutes (three minutes for the more intense exercise group and

five minutes for the more moderate exercise group).

Hypothesized Results

Judging by the way the experiment is to be administered, results should shift

depending on the group the participants were placed. This experiment will be looking for

its results through the decrease in heart rate by percentages when compared to each

participant’s initial heart rate.

The experimental group should yield the best results. It can be inferred that the

control of heart rate is easier when there was a physical number the participants could

look at. When their heart rates were measured and shown to them, the numbers would

slowly decrease on the heart rate monitors after every five-minute interval. In this group,

some participants should be able to lower their heart rates past the lower limit of the fat

burn zone.
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The next group, control, should have somewhat similar results to the experimental

group. Heart rate should successfully lower but not as much as the experimental group.

All participants should be able to lower their heart rates down to the threshold with

maybe one or two exceptions.

Lastly, the placebo group should yield minimal to no change in heart rate. When

the participants would be falsely informed that their heart rates were in the desired range,

their true heart rates should not alter and might actually increase. This could reveal that,

without instructed relaxation, heart rate can continue normally throughout exercise with a

stable pattern.

Both moderate and moderately intense exercises should yield similar results. It is

hypothesized that moderate intensity exercise should yield a higher drop in heart rate than

more intense exercise. Graph 1 and graph 2 represent what the drops in heart rate (by

percentage) should look like.

Discussion

Overall, the study should be simple to administer to participants and should run

stably. Running the study on exercise machines should be extremely simple compared to

providing exercise in a naturalistic setting. This laboratory setting should easily maintain

the participant within reach at any given moment. This helps out the researchers in the

case of any emergency if the participants were to feel fatigued. The overall advantages of

this study contribute to the ease of the study. The only serious disadvantages to the study

would be the fact that participants are not exercising out in the open air. This is not much
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of a hindrance, though, because many of those accustomed to exercising are already

adapted to exercising on cardio machines. Limitations of this study can also include a

lack of generalization to people who do not normally do exercise and those with lack of

concentration and patience. Age can also be an issue as well as people with health issues

especially those with cardiac diseases and disorders. With all these things set aside, the

study is still great for people who wish to find new ways to exercise and better

themselves during exercise.

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References

Bernardi, L., Valenti, C., Sleight, P., Wdowczyk-Szulc, J., Castoldi, S., Passino, C., et al.

(2000). Effects of controlled breathing, mental activity and mental stress with or

without verbalization on heart rate variability. Journal of the American College of

Dishman, K. (1985). Medical psychology in exercise and sport. Medical Clinic of North

America,1, 123-143. Retrieved February 14, 2011.

Jin, P. (1988). Changes in heart rate, noradrenaline, cortisol and mood during Tai

Chi. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 33(2), 197-206. Retrieved February 11,

2011.

Lechin, F., der dijs, B. V., Orozco, B., Lechin, M., Baez, S., Lechin, A., et al. (1995).

Plasma neurotransmitters, blood pressure, and heart rate during supine resting,

orthostasis, and moderate exercise conditions in major depressed

patients. Biological Psychiatry, 38, 166-173. Retrieved February 14, 2011.

Patel, C. (2003). Yog1a and Bio-Feedback in the Management of Hypertension. The

Lancet, 302(7837), 1053-1055. Retrieved April 10, 2011.

Turner, R., & Carroll, D. (2007). Heart Rate and Oxygen Consumption during Mental

Arithmetic, a Video Game, and Graded Exercise: Further Evidence of

Metabolically Exaggerated Cardiac Adjustments. Psychophysiology, 22(3), 261-

267. Retrieved February 14, 2011.

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Graph 1

Graph illustrating moderate intensity exercise

4
Experimental
Control
3 Placebo

0
Treadmill Bicycle Elliptical
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Graph 2

Graph illustrating moderately intense exercise

4.5

3.5

2.5
Experimental
Control
2 Placebo

1.5

0.5

0
Treadmill Bicycle Elliptical