CARING FOR ATHLETES
HOW TO DETERMINE YOUR ATHLETIC TRAINING HEART RATE
Nearly half of all Americans die from cardiovascular disease. By being an athlete who regularly performs moderate levels of exercise, you can greatly reduce your cardiovascular disease risks. In my last column I discussed recent research that has proven there are significant benefits in moderate or low levels of exercise. Research from Harvard and Stanford Universities reveal that moderate levels of exercise significantly decrease heart and circulatory disease when compared to an inactive sedentary population. Researchers have long presumed that exercise improves the quality of life, but most previous studies only documented the health benefits of exercise on hard-core athletic groups as marathoners and devoted swimmers. Initially scientists could only factually report that you would not necessarily live longer but could only prove that when you die you would die healthier. However, now scientific research has identified the “fountain of youth” which manifests in the form of moderate levels of exercise. Fortunately for us all, no one has to overdo exercise to get healthful gains.
So, just how much exercise is necessary to obtain health promotion that is sufficient to lower cardiovascular disease risks and prolong life? Performing activities of daily living that include walking, climbing stairs, and participating in various recreational sports that cause you to burn at least 1,500 kilocalories a week gets you the benefit. Simply by taking a brisk one-hour walk will use up to 450 kilocalories. Thus, taking a brisk one-hour walk four times per week will meet sufficient requirements for health promotion.
The easiest way to monitor the level and intensity of exercise is by monitoring your heart rate. By monitoring your heart rate, you can ascertain that you are getting adequate amounts of exercise. What should your heart rate level be during your one-hour walk or other form of exercise four times per week? Minimal effect heart rate levels necessary to obtain health promotion benefits are reported to be as low as 40-50% of your maximum heart rate. In order for you to determine your minimal effective heart rate level, simply take 220 minus your age, the multiply that number times .4 (for 40%) or .5 (for 50%).
For example, if you are 30 years of age, you would subtract 30 from 220 leaving you with 190. Then, you would multiply 190 times .4, which equals 76. Thus, you would need to obtain a heart rate level of approximately 76 beats per minute, and maintain that level for one hour four times per week to be considered exercising moderately.
However, if you are 35 years of age or older, it is the guidelines of the Institute for Aerobics Research to obtain a maximum 12-lead EKG stress test prior to participation in cardiovascular exercise. Likewise, it is my recommendation that you obtain a medical fitness assessment to include a physical examination of other body parts that are likely to be injured during exercise participation. All too common, the fitness consumer receives a physical exam that includes only a subjective examination of the heart and lungs. Ideally, the physical examination would include objective examination of heart and lung function, and comprehensively examine such bodily functions as musculoskeletal function , joint integrity, posture, and biomechanics. From this detailed examination, specific exercise guidelines can be individually tailored to meet your needs and assure health promotion. Care must be taken to avoid training one bodily system at a costly expense of another bodily system.
Recent surveys suggest that; 33,0k00,000 adult Americans (about 20% of the adult population) are overweight. Some scientists believe that teenagers are becoming more muscular, which could tend to make them fatter later in life. Automation and not exercise is ingrained in the American life style. Cardiovascular disease is our number one killer. Federal studies suggest that only 66% of all children, ages 10 to 17, engage in regular exercise programs, and only 34% of school children are enrolled in physical education programs. Given that recent research has revealed a readily available and accessible means to promote health, it is important that moderate levels of exercise become part of our weekly routine.