Whether you are jogging in the park or doing an in-home aerobics program, paying attention to your heart rate is essential. While getting active has many physical and mental benefits, you need to monitor your heart rate if you are interested in gauging just how hard your heart has to work during exercise sessions.
Identification
Your heart rate changes in response to how vigorous the activity you're engaged in is. During exercise, your heart beats more often to accommodate the muscles' increased demand for blood and oxygen. Your target heart rate is an indicator of how intense you should be working out for maximum benefit.
Purpose
Knowing your target heart rate not only provides a way to measure how intense your workout is but also assists in gauging your fitness level, according to the American Heart Association. For example, if you're just starting to get active, you may get tired quickly even working out at the low end of your target heart rate range. As you become more fit, you'll be able to participate in more intense exercise, reaching the higher end of your target heart rate.
Formula Method
The traditional formula for determining your target heart rate starts with subtracting your age from 220. This represents your maximum heart rate; this number drops as you grow older. Multiply the number by 50 percent and 80 percent to get your target heart rate range. A healthy 28-year-old, for instance, would have a target heart rate of between 96 and 154 beats per minute.
Considerations
Although the target heart rate formula based on age has been in use for decades, research reveals problems with the method---particularly for women. The formula is based upon research conducted on men, yet is used for both sexes. A Northwestern University study of more than 5,000 women dating back to 1992 found that the traditional formula overestimated women's target heart rate. The new formula for women requires subtracting 88 percent of their age from 206 rather than simply subtracting their total age from 220, according to Northwestern's NewsCenter.
Warning
If you're pregnant or taking certain medications, avoiding over-exertion is imperative. Although there are no specific heart rate recommendations for pregnant women, the Mayo Clinic recommends that you maintain an intensity level that allows you to still be able to have a conversation. If you are taking a beta-blocker for hypertension or other condition, you will likely be unable to reach your target heart rate. Beta-blocker drugs slow the heart, which may prevent you from reaching high-range heart rates at all, according to the Mayo Clinic.
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