Pacing Yourself

One of the most important things people neglect when conducting a fitness regime is exercising at the proper intensity. Pacing is also very important when exercising so you can receive all the benefits of physical activity from exercising. Determining your target heart rate or using Borg's Perceived Rate of Exertion can help you monitor your fitness level as well as monitor your fitness progress in any type of program. Target heart rate is defined as staying within 50-85 percent of your maximum heart rate during exercise. Using Borg's method is an alternative that is measured using conversational talk. Ultimately, you want to be able to hold a conversation with someone but not be able to sing when exercising.

How To Determine Your Target Heart Rate:
To determine your target heart rate subtract your age from 220. This number is your maximum heart rate. As mentioned before you should aim for 50-85 percent of that number.

Example: 22 year old
220-22= 198 Maximum Heart Rate
50% of Maximum Heart Rate=198 X 0.50= 99
85% of Maximum Heart Rate= 198 X 0.85= 168

When initially beginning an exercise program aim for the lower percentage of your heart rate at 50 percent. As time progresses, slowly increase your target heart rate zone gradually to progress to 85 percent of maximum heart rate.