To monitor cardiovascular fitness, different measurements can be taken and used to assess your progress in improving heart and blood vessel health. There are many benefits to regular exercise, including reduction of your cardiovascular risk factors.
Step 1
Obtain a medical report from your doctor documenting changes in your cholesterol levels over the past several years. A normal part of the blood testing done by your doctor includes measuring and monitoring your levels of LDL and HDL cholesterol, as these numbers can be useful indicators of cardiovascular fitness. As a rule of thumb, you want to see your HDL cholesterol increase and your LDL cholesterol decrease over time; these trends are both indicators of good cardiovascular fitness. Continue to monitor these levels over time.
Step 2
Begin monitoring blood pressure. If you have hypertension, or high blood pressure, an excellent indicator of cardiovascular health is improving blood pressure. According to Mayo Clinic, hypertension is defined as a blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or higher. You will likely see improvements in your readings with regular exercise. That means you can use your blood pressure as a measurement of cardiovascular health improvements.
Step 3
Begin monitoring blood glucose. If you already have diabetes, exercise will improve your blood sugar levels, thus serving as a useful indicator of cardiovascular health.
