Dear Dr. Donohue: I have some questions about heart rate and its relation to weight loss, health and exercise. I am 53 and weigh 158 pounds. My goal is to lose one pound a week. I work out four to five days a week. My routine is challenging. I sweat. I can talk but cannot sing. My heart is beating fast. During strength classes, my heart rate peaks at 166. During a cardio session, it's between 155 and 165.
My doctor says not to worry about my heart rate as long as I do not feel any pain. My trainer says I should be working out at a less-intense pace. Is my heart rate out of line? Does less-intense exercise burn more fat than high-
intensity exercise? -- J.H.
Dr. Donohue: Using heart rate as a guide to exercise intensity involves subtracting your age from 220 to find your maximum heart rate. For you, that is: 220 minus 53 equals 167. For training purposes, exercise should raise your heartbeat to a level between 60 percent and
80 percent of your maximum heart rate. For you, that is 100 to 134.
When you're lifting weights, your heart rate is going to soar beyond those limits, because you are exerting to your maximum for a short time. That's OK. It's safe.
For aerobic exercise, you want to exercise within your training zone:
100 to 134. Aerobic exercise is the kind of exercise where large muscles are moving for a prolonged period of time,
30 or more minutes. Running, jogging, brisk walking, swimming and bike riding are examples of
aerobic exercise.
A beginner should keep the heart rate at the lower level. A more advanced exerciser aims for the higher range. Even exceeding the higher range is safe if you feel fine during the exercise. Don't become obsessed with heart rate. You can gauge your exercise intensity by how you feel. That's as reliable as counting your heart rate. You should not be panting for air (being able to carry on a conversation is a good guide), you should break a slight sweat and you shouldn't feel muscle pain.
Your trainer tells you that you burn more fat at less-intense levels of exercise. That's true. A slightly higher proportion of your energy is supplied by fat during lower-intensity exercise. However, the total number of fat calories burned is much greater at high-intensity exercise
Go easy with the heart rate guide, or you'll drive yourself crazy. Use perceived exertion -- how you feel -- as the way to judge exercise intensity. Your heart rates are not out of line. Your heart is healthy.
Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www .rbmamall.com.
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