[Vision2020] Re: Heart Rate:Vigorous Activity

[Timothy Rigsby]

Ted:

I agree, target heart rate would have been a more appropriate choice
of 
words, however, most people who walk still do not fall into the target
heart 
rate zone, especially most high school students.  Walking is an
excellent low 
impact form of exercise for most everybody to participate
in.  I try and walk 
most everywhere I need to go when I am not having to
bounce from campus to home 
and work every two hours.  Students would
benefit from walking, however, time would 
be lost in the classroom that
could be spent getting their heart rate even higher 
than by walking. 
Most high school students Max HR will fall in the range of 
202-205 bpm,
based on the equation 220-age= Max HR.  With a target heart rate of about 127-180 bpm.

Here are a couple more links to
check out for those interested in heart rate 
studies, walking, etc
etc.

www.acsm.org
www.aahperd.org
www.americaonthemove.org


----- Original Message -----
From: Tbertruss at aol.com
Date: Sunday, April 3, 2005 2:27 pm
Subject: Heart Rate:Vigorous Activity

> 
> Tim et. al.
> 
> Tim wrote:
> 
> "Walking is not considered vigorous physical activity.  In order 
> for vigorous 
> physical
> activity to take place, a person’s heart rate has to be at or near 
> their 
> maximum HR.
> Students have learned how to calculate their Max HR and they use 
> this number 
> along 
> with HR monitors to monitor their level of physical activity."
> 
> This is a very misleading statement.  Exercise physiologists use a 
> very well 
> studied and recognized system for monitoring heart rate for safe 
> and effective 
> aerobic exercise which aims at hitting what is called the "target 
> heart rate" 
> and sustaining it for a sufficient period of time.  The target 
> heart rate is 
> well below a persons maximum.  To sustain a heart rate near or at 
> maximum for 
> an extended period of time requires a level of effort that no 
> exercise 
> physiologist would force a client to undergo unless they were at a 
> very high level of 
> fitness and/or also possibly seeking to compete in very strenuous 
> sports, 
> like running a mile as fast as you possibly can.
> 
> The target heart rate will vary a lot from person to person and 
> with age.  
> Someone with a maximum heart rate of 180 bpm can exercise at 130 
> bpm for a 
> sustained period and be well within the target heart rate zone.  
> This rate of 
> exercise qualifies as sufficiently "vigorous," if maintained for 
> at least 20 
> minutes, to provide a significant effect on overall conditioning 
> and health benefits 
> if done at least 4 times a week.
> 
> There are disagreements as to how long and how often it is needed 
> to exercise 
> at your target heart zone to get most of the health and 
> conditioning benefits 
> this can provide.  No doubt this varies tremendously from person 
> to person.  
> Once I ran 3 miles at 7 minutes per mile and only raised by heart 
> rate to 
> around 100 bpm.  A walk in the park!
> 
> But any exercise is beneficial.  Walking 3 miles a day, even at a 
> casual 
> pace, does provide benefits to health and conditioning.  Exercise 
> at or near 
> maximum heart rate would never be necessary for someone who is 
> only seeking fun, 
> health, recreation and reasonable fitness, and not trying to 
> compete or perform 
> at the outer limits of their maximum abilities.
> 
> Info on different exercise rates and how to calculate your target 
> heart rate 
> zone below:
> 
> http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/sma/sma_exerpres_sma.htm
> 
> http://www.thewalkingsite.com/thr.html
> 
> ----------------------------------------
> 
> V2020 Post by Ted Moffett
> 
>