by Mia Bremer
The word “aerobic” means “with oxygen”. Cardiorespiratory exercise, then, involves moving in a way that increases the heart rate requiring a constant source of re-oxygenated blood via the lungs. When you do aerobic exercise, such as walking fast, running, biking, or taking a Silver Sneakers circuit class, you are doing fantastic things for your body and mind. Cardiorespiratory exercise not only strengthens the heart and lungs, but increases stamina, lowers blood pressure, helps control blood sugar levels, and grows your hippocampus which protects cognitive function and reduces other health risks. As we age, however, blood pressure changes and medications, diabetes medications, statins, and diuretics, as well as other health changes, can affect our heart rate. To work safely, here are a few methods that older adults can adopt to insure a safe workout or physical activity.
The Talk Test – The safest method for older adults – particularly for those who take blood pressure medications.
The Talk Test is the simplest way to measure your workout intensity. The goal is to work at a level where you can answer a question, but not comfortably carry on a conversation. In other words, you would be working out too hard if you must take a breath between every word you say. On the other hand, you would be exercising too easily if you could sing several phrases of a song without breathing hard. Ideally, you should be able to speak understandably and with moderate effort.
Work at an intensity that allows you to breathe comfortably and rhythmically throughout all phases of your workout. This will ensure a safe and comfortable level of exercise. If you’re working too hard, lower the resistance level and slow down. If you experience dizziness or lightheadedness, you may be overexerting yourself and should stop.
Rate of Perceived Exertion
Sometimes, you can gauge your intensity simply by subjectively deciding how you feel. Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) is a versatile method for measuring exercise intensity for all age groups.
RPE is a scale from 1-10 that rates how you feel (both physically and mentally) as it relates to the intensity level. The recommended RPE for most older adults is about 4-6. This means that at the height of your workout, you should feel you are working “fairly light,” nearing “hard.” Using the RPE works well because it is individualized based on your current fitness level and overall perception of exercise.
| R.P.E. Scale – Rate of Perceived Exertion | ||
| 1) Rest 2) Very Light 3) Light 4) Fairly Light 5) Somewhat Hard 6) Hard 7) Hard (heavy) 8) Very Hard |
Calculating Heart Rate Percentage
This is a method you often see on posters in gyms and fitness centers. For older adults, however, this method does not always take medications or other health issues into consideration. This method can be used by some older adults but is the least reliable when it comes to working out safely.
Max Heart Rate Equation MHR = 220 – Age x percentage heart rate. For example, a 68 year old person using this method would look like this: 220-68= 152 (Maximum heart rate) X 0.60 (60% heart rate max) = 91. Using this method, if that person wanted to work at 60% of their maximum heart rate, they would work toward a heart rate of about 91 beats per minute.
How much aerobic exercise is enough? Recommended amounts for older adults are 150 minutes of moderate exercise (RPE of 4-5) or 75 minutes of vigorous (RPE 5-6) exercise per week. Know yourself and choose a the method that is safest and most effective for you!