Heart Rate Guidelines
Low level aerobic activity involves working most
of the time at 55 to 75 percent of your maximum
heart rate. You often see it referred to as “mod-
erate exercise.” This individualizes the exercise
such that one man’s leisurely stroll is another
man’s endurance workout. In fact, raw speed is
immaterial when figuring out what moving slowly
really means; all that matters is the cardiovascu-
lar system’s reaction to the work. If you’re heav-
ing and panting and sweating, you are not moving
at a slow pace—no matter what the speedometer
says. Heart rate (and the aerobic activity that de-
termines it) varies considerably based on how in
shape you are.
To determine the proper exercise zone for your
“Move Frequently” sessions, you must determine
or estimate your maximum heart rate. This formula
is fairly accurate for most of the population.
For males, 220 - age = Estimated Maximum Heart Rate
For females, 226 - age = Estimated Maximum Heart Rate
If you have a wireless heart rate monitor and wish to
determine a more accurate value, you can perform
a self-test, with medical clearance, as follows:
warm up for a few minutes, exercise at a high in-
tensity for about two minutes, then sprint as fast
as you can for the last fifteen seconds. Note your
heart rate. With a max heart rate value, do some
math and determine your exercise zone range of
55–75 percent to max.For reference, the lower limit of 55 percent of max
is a very, very comfortable rate that represents
the minimum level required to really consider your
effort a workout. Your energy source is primarily
fat at this level. For a fit person, this might be a
medium intensity hike, a slow bike ride on level
ground, or a super easy session on a cardio ma-
chine. For an unfit or moderately fit person, this’ll
be a casual stroll around the block.26