How hard should I excersice?

“How hard should I exercise?”  That is a question patients ask me frequently.  For people who have no medical reason to restrict their activity level, this can be answered using a couple of different methods.  The first and most practical method is especially useful during aerobic activities such as walking, jogging, or biking.  One should exercise at a level that makes you breathe hard but still be able to carry on a conversation if someone were to speak to you.  If you are unable to talk while exercising, you are performing the activity at too high a level for your current degree of fitness.  With time, as your fitness improves, the intensity level can be increased and this “conversational pace” of activity can be adjusted upward. 

Another, more technical method of monitoring the intensity of your activity is by measuring your heart rate.  To get many of the future benefits of exercise, you need to perform within a target heart rate zone.  This zone is between 60% and 80% of your maximum average heart rate for your age.  That is found by subtracting your age from 220.  60%-80% of that number is the range to strive for during your exercise period.  As your fitness level improves, the amount of activity needed to reach the target heart rate will increase.  That is a good thing, evidence that what you are doing is making changes in your body.  Below is a chart with target heart rates according to age.

TARGET HEART RATE ZONES

AGE                                       MAX HEART RATE                                  TRAINING ZONE

                                                (beats per minute)                               (beats per minute)

                                                                                                            60%                80%

20                                                        200                                          120                  160

25                                                        195                                          117                  156

30                                                        190                                          114                  152

35                                                        185                                          111                  148

40                                                        180                                          108                  144

45                                                        175                                          105                  140

50                                                        170                                          102                  136

55                                                        165                                          99                   132

60                                                        160                                          96                   128

65                                                        155                                          93                   124

70                                                        150                                          90                   105

A word of caution; make sure it is safe for you to engage in physical activity.  Check with your doctor if you are over 40 and have not been exercising regularly, especially if you intend to start a vigorous program.  Also, if during exercise you become dizzy, become very short of breath, or feel extremely tired two hours after exercising, you need to see if it is safe for you to continue with exercise.

The key is to start moving if you are not and find a way to keep moving if you are.  Talk to you soon.

Paul