There is a fine line between true exercise and mere increased activity. Someone can walk everyday and still not exercise enough to help them lose weight. Although increasing activity can improve your health, it is not as effective when it comes to weight loss.

What is the difference between exercise and activity? A good example for activity would be walking your dog or a taking a morning stroll. Exercise is typically more structured and purposeful. Good examples would be a power walk, jog or aerobics class.

For most people, your heart rate is probably the best indicator of aerobic exercise and caloric expenditure. In order to find out the range in which you should exercise, you need to figure out your maximum heart rate. According to the American Heart Association, your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age. Using that number, multiply that number by 0.65 for a low-intensity workout or 0.85 for a high-intensity workout.

Here is an example for a thirty year old:

220 – 30 = 190BPM (beats per minute)

Heart rate for a low-intensity workout would be 123.5BPM (190 X .65)

Heart rate high-intensity workout would be 161.5BPM (190 X .85)

Tracking your heart rate can be pretty easy when using a treadmill. Most treadmills have a chart on the machine to tell you where you need to be, but what if you are out walking in your neighborhood? You can either buy a heart rate monitor or you can get an estimate by counting your heart beat within a ten-second span and multiplying it by six.

For example, the same thirty-year-old would need to maintain a heart rate of twenty-one beats over a ten-second span for a low intensity workout. For a high-intensity workout the ideal heart rate would be twenty-seven beats. Of course it is not as accurate as a heart rate monitor but it is much more convenient.

Although heart rate is normally the best indication of caloric expenditure, there are some exceptions. Some people’s resting heart rate is slower than normal, a condition called Bradycardia, or it can be faster than normal, a condition called Tachycardia. However, for the general population, the heart rate is the best way to monitor aerobic exercise and calories burned.

So, if you are not sure if you are exercising at the right pace, just ask your heart.

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This entry was posted on Friday, May 23rd, 2008 at 3:39 pm and is filed under Fitness.