Your resting heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute while your body is at rest. To determine your resting heart rate ... Prior to getting out of bed in the morning, take your pulse on your wrist (radial pulse) or on the side of your neck (carotid pulse). Count the number of beats for one minute. To help assure accuracy, take your resting heart rate three mornings in a row and average the 3 heart rates together.