For a person to improve his or her overall health, exercise is very important. However, for an aerobic workout to be safe and beneficial, you need to monitor your heart rate. This is easy to do, and determining your target heart rate will make your workouts more effective.

Measuring your heart rate is really a very easy thing to do: On either wrist, or about an inch below your ear on your neck, feel for your heartbeat. Count the number of beats in 15 seconds, multiply that number by 4, and you have your heart rate.

Finding your target heart rate range during a workout is a bit more complicated, however. During an aerobic or strength workout, stop at the most physically intense point, and determine your heart rate in the fashion described above. After you have that number, subtract your age from 220. For your minimum heart rate range, multiply the new number by 60 percent. (That’s .6) For your maximum heart rate range, multiply the number by 85 percent.

Now that you understand the formula, you know that at the most physically demanding moments of your workout, your heart rate should fall somewhere in between those two numbers. If you happen to fall below the minimum, your workout isn’t going to be effective. If you rise above the maximum number, you are putting your body at risk for stress on the heart and lungs.

Monitoring your heart rate periodically during a workout is the best way to gauge intensity, improve effectiveness, and maintain your health. If you workout at a gym or with a trainer, they should help you monitor your health, meet your goals, and feel great! If this isn’t what is happening, it may be time for a change in workout procedures.

It is also very important to discuss your diet and exercise plans with your family physician because no one else is going to be able to paint a clear picture of what you need to do, how much you should do, and the best way for you to exercise.

You should also keep in mind that you must stay hydrated during intense, and not so intense workouts. The muscles require water to perform at their peak, and isn’t that what you’re trying to do?

Regardless of your workout plans, determining your target heart rate will teach you what you should do to have an effective exercise plan, as well as how to avoid working out to the point of extreme physical stress.

Sources: Dobkin, Rachel & Sippy, Shana. The College Woman’s Handbook: 203.

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