Low and Medium Intensity Exercise, Defined

-
In a previous posting, I offhandedly used the terms “low intensity” and “medium intensity” aerobic activity. Perhaps you’re already familiar with these terms, though I think for many people these terms are about as meaningful as Urdvha Dhanurasana or other Sanskrit names.

While “low intensity aerobic activity” may sound pretty technical, I think most of us have an intuitive, seat-of-the-pants understanding of what a low intensity or medium intensity workout may feel like. Unfortunately, these terms are largely relative. By whose standard? By the standards of the marathon runner? Or the devout couch potato?

Thankfully, we can quantify these terms by keeping tabs on our heart rate. In keeping track of our heart rate, we can find the just-right challenge for each person, regardless of whether they’re an elite athlete or just starting to get back in shape.

We all have a maximum heart rate. The harder we work out, the faster our heart beats… to a certain point. For each of us, our heart will only beat so fast.  This maximum heart rate varies from person to person, though scientists have found some reliable patterns. Firstly, maximum heart rate tends to correlate strongly to age. Secondly, most people’s maximum heart rate is no more than about 220 beats per minute.

After years of studying thousands of people, scientists found that if you subtracted a person’s age in years (human years, not cat or dog years) from 220, you arrive at a pretty good approximation of their maximum heart rate.

220 - age (in years) = calculated Maximum Heart Rate (MHR)

For example, I’m 48 years old. Subtracting 48 from 220, I end up with a calculated maximum heart rate of 172 beats per minute. While this isn’t exactly my maximum heart rate (more on that in a forthcoming post), it’s sufficiently close for the purpose of monitoring the intensity of my workouts.

OK, now what do you do with this esteemed MHR number? With the MHR number in hand, we can now quantifiably define what’s meant by low-intensity or medium-intensity aerobic exercise.

Low intensity aerobic exercise is commonly defined by a heart rate that’s 55-65% of MHR. Medium intensity aerobic exercise is commonly defined by a heart rate that’s 65-75% of MHR.

In my body, I’m just starting to derive the aerobic benefits of working out when I’m in the low intensity zone of 95-112 beats per minute (BPM). I’m in medium intensity zone when my heart rate is between 122-129 BPM.

To develop heart-healthy fitness, I’ve been enjoying activities with my heart rate in the 95 to 129 BPM range.

By keeping my heart rate in this low to moderate intensity zone, I’ve enjoyed 90+ consecutive days with 30+ minutes of aerobic activity. It’s felt great, and I can almost feel how my body is growing stronger and healthier.


What is your calculated maximum heart rate? What is 55-75% of your MHR? What would it feel like to spend 200-minutes in this zone each week?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

30-years in the Driftless

-
Image
Thirty years ago I inadvertently landed in Wisconsin's Driftless Region. Lured by the call of Yoga, community and sustainable agriculture, I found a place that I have called home for the better part of my life. Over Memorial Day Weekend 1994, I made the somewhat impulsive decision to relocate to Blue Mounds, WI; a decision I have not regretted. I was drawn to the Driftless by the 1994 Memorial Day Teacher's Hang Out Weekend The Spring of 1994 was a pivotal time in my life. I'd recently graduated from college, and with a group of friends, co-founded the St. Paul Yoga Center . Despite the path that was unfolding, I felt an itchiness to explore and reevaluate my emerging adult life. I yearned to live closer to the land, and simultaneously felt that the Yoga I practiced and taught was detached from the natural world. The call of the 4th Annual Memorial Day Teacher's Hang Out Weekend could not have come at a more opportune time. It seems almost quaint, now, to receive an inv...
Read more

100,000 Miles on the Tesla

-
Image
I've been a car guy  my entire life. Toy cars were my childhood obsession. As a teenager, I somehow took obsessed  to the next level, and literally memorized tracts of my favorite auto repair manuals. (Yes, I had favorite repair manuals). I slightly downregulated these obsessions in my middle years, though I was still keenly aware of the cars around me, gimbaling to lock in on an unfamiliar model or automotive rarity. This Tesla Model Y has been on many roadtrips. When the Tesla Model S came out in 2012, I was swept off my feet by its aesthetics, performance and the underlying technology. Initially Tesla sightings were infrequent, and I employed the unproven technique of staring/not-staring in an inept attempt to avoid stalking the early adopters. Within a few years, however, the more-affordable Model 3 opened the sales flood gates, and it suddenly seemed like Teslas were everywhere. The "Idiot Book" was my favorite repair manual. By the time the Tesla Model Y (the small ...
Read more

Aging & Inflammation

-
Image
Aging well is largely about managing inflammation. You will likely feel better and have more energy if your baseline levels of inflammation are lower, and will likely struggle more with aches, pains and low energy when your baseline levels of inflammation are higher. Managing inflammation is essential to aging well, and requires more than anti-inflammatory supplements and down time . Reducing baseline levels of inflammation requires the strategic application of inflammation. Known as hormesis , regular applications of inflammation can lower baseline levels of inflammation. To some small extent, that which doesn’t kill you may well make you stronger. The trick is getting the dose just right, as the dose of inflammation either makes the poison or the medicine. Yes, this is an eBike. I adjust the level of assist to maintain the just-right challenge. Exercise, particularly cardio, is inflammatory. This is among the many reasons why doing cardio is an essential element in aging well. In th...
Read more