FEELING YOUR EXERCISE

As you become more active, you will recognize that sometimes you are really working hard, sometimes not hard at all, and sometimes you are just coasting. This awareness of your exertion level is quite an accurate measure. Pay attention to your own perceptions! You may have a number of other clues such as; hard breathing, fast pulse, profuse sweating and the like, but your overall perception is usually right on. This is your RATE OF PERCEIVED EXERTION (RPE or BORG Scale).

You will be most accurate at the upper and lower edges of the graph below.

NOTE: medications which control your heart rate and response may mislead you. (Ask your doctor about this before exercising!!)

What effort you perceive (RPE): What your pulse is doing:

(Maximal Heart Rate is 220 minus your age.)

0= resting

1= very,very light

2= very light

About 50% of Maximal Heart Rate

3= light

4= moderate

About 60% of Maximal Heart Rate

5= moderate

6= somewhat hard

About 70% of Maximal Heart Rate

7= hard

8= very hard

About 80% of Maximal Heart Rate

9= very, very hard

10= maximal

Usually a workout between 2-4 (very light to moderate) is satisfactory for Health purposes, and should be your starting point if you have been sedentary. Brisk walking for most people is between 5-6. For ordinary Aerobic Fitness efforts, aim at 4-7 (moderate to hard). Athletes can go for 7-10 (hard to maximal).

If you cannot hold up your end of a conversation while walking, you are walking too fast, slow down.