How Hard to Exercise
What Exercise Intensity is Best?
Exercise intensity is like exercise-frequency
and exercise-duration. It varies according to your physical condition
and fitness goals. That said, in order to gain the maximum benefit from
aerobic activity, you need to work hard enough to rev-up your breathing
and heart rate. Current
fitness-research indicates that longer and more frequent sessions of moderate
activity may be better than fewer bursts of high-intensity exercise.
Why More-Frequent Moderate Intensity Exercise
is Best
There are three general reasons why more
regular sessions of moderate intensity exercise are better than fewer
sessions of high-intensity training.
(1) The total quantity of aerobic
activity is more important to reduce the risk of disease than the
intensity of that activity.
(2) Moderate intensity activity is safe for just about everyone, while
vigorous pursuits, like running, pose a higher risk of pulled/torn muscles
and other joint/ligament injuries.
(3) High-intensity training can put excessive stress on the heart,
especially for individuals who are middle-aged or older, or who have cardiovascular
disease.
How to Measure Moderate Intensity Exercise?
How can you judge what is moderate exercise?
One way to judge the level of exertion is to monitor how you feel. The
signs of moderately vigorous activity include deeper breathing, faster
heartbeat and light sweating. If you find that you are gasping for breath,
your heart is pounding or you are seating heavily, you have crossed from
moderate intensity to high intensity exertion.
Talk-Test
Or try the talk-test. During moderate-intensity
activity, you should be able to carry on a normal conversation while working
out. During vigorous-intensity activity, you typically become too out
of breath to carry on a conversation.
What are the Symptoms of Over Exercising?
There are several signs and symptoms that
accompany overtraining. These include:
- Decreased performance.
- Unusual feelings of tiredness, even after rest-day.
- Increased resting heart rate.
- More injuries than usual.
- Longer recovery than usual from injuries.
- Depression, feeling unusually low.
- Loss of appetite.
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