If you like to do aerobic exercises, you need to be sure that your heart can handle the amount of activity you are doing. Some people think they should work hard and push themselves to the limit. But, the thing is, you need to consider your target heart rate if you want to take care of your heart.
Target heart rate refers to the rate your heart has to beat so that it performs 60-80% of its maximum capacity. If your heart rate goes above 80%, you will put too much strain on your heart and you will go into anaerobic activity. If you exercise with your heart rate below 60%, you heart will not benefit that much from the aerobic activity.
So how do you calculate your target heart rate?
Using basic math skills, you can easily calculate your target heart rate. First, subtract your age from 220. Multiply the difference by 0.6 to get the lower limit of your target heart rate. Multiply the difference again by 0.8 to get the upper limit of your target heart rate.
For example, your age is 30 years old. So, 220 - 30 = 190
Lower limit of target heart rate is 190 x 0.6 = 114 beats per minute
Upper limit of target heart rate is 190 x 0.8 = 152 beats per minute
Therefore, if you were 30 years old, your target heart rate is 114 to 152 beats per minute. Be sure to maintain this heart rate during your exercise. Take your pulse every ten minutes or so. In case your pulse is below your target rate, you can increase the intensity of your exercise. If it’s too high, try to slow down.
The intensity of exercise differs from person to person as it depends on your body's target heart rate zone. Some people can only have a brisk walk. While others need to jog or run to increase reach their target heart rate.
For some people it's enough to do any type of movement to get the heart rate up. As you improve your fitness level, you need to level up and work harder to keep your heart within its target heart range.
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