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Alrighty then…Now that you know a bit about what a cardio exercise is, here is what makes the cardio exercises beneficial—the heart rate.  Your heart rate is defined as how fast your heart beats per minute.  There are three main kinds of heart rates: 1) the Resting Heart Rate 2) the Target Heart Rate and 3) the Maximum Heart Rate, each of which you will gain useful information about.  You will also learn how to determine/estimate each of three kind of heart rates.

The Resting Heart Rate

The resting heart rate is how many times your heart beats per minute while you are sitting down, calm, and relaxed.  A typical resting heart rate is 60 to 80 beats per minute.  According to the American Heart Association, the best time to determine your resting heart rate is in the morning before you get out of bed from a good night’s rest.  This typical resting heart rate can vary from person to person.  The older a person gets, the high the resting heart rate can be while younger more physically fit people tend to have a lower resting heart rate.  For example, I am 27 years old and consider myself in pretty good shape (running about 2.5 miles every day and doing cardio workouts, Pilates, and/or weightlifting as my schedule allows) and my resting heart rate has been measured as low as 42 beats per minute and as high as 55 beats per minute.  If you have any questions about what your resting heart rate should be, please consult your physician.

But why take a resting heart rate?  What does it matter when it comes to exercising to get back in shape?  I asked this once before too, and my answer was that by knowing your resting heart rate you will be able to determine your target heart rate during training or a given workout routine.  Many athletes will measure their resting heart rate and use it to determine whether or not they are being over-trained or not.

So…How do you calculate your resting heart rate?  I took a CNA (Certified Nurses Assistant) about 4 months ago and learned a couple of different methods.  One is to take two fingers and put them over your cartroid artery located in your neck (pictured left).  You will be able to feel a pulsation of blood flowing through that artery.  Every time there is a pulse of blood, your heart beats. 

The second method, which is pictured to the right, is to turn one hand so that your palm is facing up and place two fingers on the outer side of the wrist.  You should again feel that pulsation of blood. 

For each of these methods there are three different and simple calculations to determine your resting heart rate—1) count the pulsations for 15 seconds and multiply the number of counted pulsations by 4, 2) count the pulsations for 30 seconds and multiply the number of counted pulsations by 2, 3) count the number of pulsations for a full 60 seconds and that’s your resting heart rate.  The third calculation may seem like it takes a long time, but it really doesn’t and it is the most accurate.

**Both methods of finding a pulsation can also be used when finding a random heart rate.  For example, if you are out running (or doing any activity of any kind) and want to you know heart rate at that moment, just use one of these methods and whichever of the three calculations described in the previous paragraph.

The Maximum Heart Rate

The maximum heart rate is defined as being the highest number of times your heart beast per minute.  Like a resting heart rate, this will vary from person to person depending on age and fitness level.  The more fit you are the higher your maximum heart rate will be and the older you are the lower your maximum heart rate will be.  The best way to determine your maximum heart rate is to be monitored in a professional clinical setting on a treadmill doing what is known as a Treadmill Stress Test.  This type of stress test is performed under close supervision of a Cardiologist or Certified Physical Therapist.  There is a way, however, to estimate your maximum heart rate using the following two equations:

WOMEN: 226 – your age = your approximate maximum heart rate

MEN: 220 – your age = your approximate maximum heart rate

For example, I am a 27 year old female, therefore my maximum heart rate would be:

226 – 27 = 199 beats per minute

**Please note that this formula is gives only an estimation for what your maximum heart rate could be.  Remember that defined heart rates, such as the maximum and resting heart rates previously discussed depend not only on age, but also your physical fitness and conditions.   Please consult your physician (especially if you have a heart condition or any other form of medical condition) for determining the best and most appropriate maximum heart rate for you.

The Target Heart Rate

The Target Heart Rate is defined as being the desired heart rate falling into what is known as the Target Heart Rate Zone that will allow a person the ability to achieve, during a given activity, exercise, or workout their desired fitness results (which will discussed in the next cardio post series).  And like the Resting and Maximum heart rates, the target heart rate varies from person to person depending on age and physical fitness. 

Has another question crossed you mind—Like “How do I calculate my target heart rate”?  Well…as with the Maximum Heart Rate, there is a simple equation for determining your target heart rate as well as finding you target heart rate zone:

Maximum Heart Rate x 50% = Minimum Beats per Minute of Target Heart Rate Zone

Maximum Heart Rate x 80% = Maximum Beats per Minute of Target Heart Rate Zone

After doing the calculation, look at the target heart rate chart below to get a better idea the typical heart rate zones determined for the corresponding age groups.

**The above target heart rates and maximum heart rates are averages given by the American Heart Association, so use them only as general guidelines.  Also, there are a few medications for high blood pressure that also lower the maximum heart rate.  If you take medication for high blood pressure please consult your prescribing physician for help in finding your target heart rate. 

Alright…I think that is about enough information for now.  I don’t want to overwhelm you (even though I might have), but what you have just read/learned will help you understand and use the information of my next post about how each kind of heart rate can be used to make your cardio exercises and workouts more effective in achieving your goals—whether they be to lose weight, just burn calories, increase endurance, etc.  So sit on this information for a bit, mull it over, talk it over with your physician or fitness trainer, and come back next week to learn how to use this information to your benefit.

Many people who are just starting to workout wonder “What is a cardio exercise and should I try it?”.  Are you one of those people?  If you are, here is some info and a few things for you think about. 

What Is Cardio Exercise?

The term “Cardio” is short for cardiovascular, which refers to the heart.  A cardiovascular (or cardio) exercise is one in which your heart rate is elevated for a given amount of time.  Many people also refer to a cardio exercise (and a cardio workout) as an aerobic exercise/workout.

What is Involved in a Cardio Workout?

Unbroken movements and activities, such as jogging, fast walking, swimming, dancing, etc, that continue for a given amount of time are what make up a cardio workout.  Many of you have heard of dance aerobics classes that are offered at most any gym, these are great cardio workouts.

What Are the Benefits of a Cardio Workout?

I believe a cardio workout is very important—not only for losing weight, but also for overall and general health reasons.  Here are some of the top reasons for a person to include a cardio workout in their exercise routine:

• Strengthens the heart
• Strengthens the lungs and increases the lung capacity
• Boosts your metabolism, which in turn burns more calories and helps you to lose weight
• Helps in reducing stress
• Increases energy
• Promotes restful sleep

Okay…everyone has their own type or favorite type of cardio workout as well as their own reasons for doing so.  Personally, I favor running, kickboxing, and a combination of dancing and aerobics.  I run 3 to 5 miles twice a week while doing some form of cardio boosting dance aerobics and/or kickboxing for 50 minutes 4 to 5 days a week.  This may vary, depending on how I am feeling (physically as well as emotionally) and how my day at work went.  Sometimes I flip that so I am running 4 to 5 days and doing my aerobics/kickboxing twice a week.  But why or how did I pick these cardio exercises?  Well…I was at the gym and the weight lifting area was a bit too crowded so I decided to try my hand at the treadmill.  I wasn’t too excited about it at first, but I figured ‘what the heck…I am here to exercise and if this what’s available, then so be it’.  And after a few minutes I thought “Wow…this isn’t as bad as I thought it would be” and realized that my mind wasn’t racing like it usually does.  My head was clear (in fact, I had a few pretty good ideas/solutions to issues at work and how to arrange my garden) and I felt calmer than I had in a long time.  So I decided to skip the weights that day and go home before I forgot my epiphanies.  The next day I had a similar experience…the weight lifting area was too crowded, I ran, and again felt calmer, more relaxed, and clear headed.  I decided to continue running and after about a week or so my coworkers had noticed that I had more energy than usual and I, myself, had noticed that it was easier to get up in the mornings without that groggy feeling.  So I continued my running and after about a month and a suggestion from one of the gym trainers, who also asked me what my goals were for my workouts and reasoning for doing cardio activities, I added some dance aerobics to my routine for some variety.  The kickboxing was added to the mix just recently when a friend of mine begged me to try a kickboxing class with her (it was her first time too).  We both liked it and decided that while the boys get together or watch football once a week, we go kickboxing.

So that’s me.  What about you?  There are many different types of cardio exercises, workouts, and activities to choose from.  Don’t think you are limited to running and aerobics.  For those of you who love being outdoors think about swimming, biking, walking, playing a little three-on-three basketball, football, and even beach volleyball.  For those of you who enjoy the indoors a bit more might be geared more towards using machines, such as a treadmill, elliptical, stair climber, rowing machine, ladder climber, indoor bicycle, etc.

Now that you know a bit more and have an idea of your options, what are your fitness goals and what kind of cardio workout would work best for you in order to meet those goals?  My goals were (and still are) to relieve stress, get a good night’s sleep, and just stay in shape and good cardiovascular health.  If your goal is to lose weight, then your cardio exercises and workouts are going to be slightly different than mine.  Think about it and come back.  This month will be dedicated to cardio exercises and workouts and what is considered the best cardio exercise to lose weight, what cardio exercise burns the most calories, if there are any cardio exercises for bad knees, the best cardio exercise to burn fat, etc.  But first some education is needed so next post will include the topics of how long a cardio workout should be, what your target heart rate should be and how to calculate it, and how to make your cardio workout effective.