Heart Beating; Lungs Pumping
The quick answer: Aerobic exercise—it's an essential ingredient for good health.
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Aerobic Exercise
It was an ‘80s thing, aerobics. This new form of exercise was devised and popularized by Dr. Kenneth Cooper, author of a handful of books on the subject. He defined it as “A system of exercise . . . to cause marked temporary increase in breathing and heart rate.” It’s not all that intense—the point of aerobic exercise is to do something you can maintain for, say, 20 minutes.
You can walk, run, swim, row, jump-rope, or do calisthenics. (Scratch jump-rope, 20 minutes of that is amazingly hard.) Essentially you have to engage major muscles, usually the legs. Just do something enjoyable that sustains increased breathing and heartbeat and do it at least three hours a week. You can do six 30-minute workouts, or three 1-hour stints. But get those three hours of elevated respiration and heartbeat.
Safe Heart Rate (Revised)
What should your heart rate be during exercise? There are a variety of answers but it’s best to consult your doctor because everyone is different and we vary in our health. If you’re about to have a heart attack, for example, your doctor can guide you to a safe fitness regimen.
The Mayo Clinic offers a heart rate calculator for your aerobic exercise. The calculator is based on two considerations:
- Maximum heart rate (MHR): Per the AHA, MHR is calculated by subtracting you age from 220. For a 40-year old, this gives a MHR of 180. It is not recommended to exceed this rate, rather it is a basis for your target heart rate.
- Target heart rate (THR) depends on the intensity of your workout and your experience. The Mayo Clinic calculator provides a THR range for your age between 70 to 85% of MHR. The American College of Sports Medicine suggests ranges of intensity, based on experience:
- Low intensity workout target heart rate is suggested for beginners—60-70% of MHR. For the 40-year old, 70% is a 126 heart rate.
- Medium intensity heart rate, may be used with several weeks of experience—70-80% of MHR. (The green zone on the Mayo Clinic calculator ranges from 70-85%.) This is sometimes referred to as the fat-burning zone for aerobic workouts (discussed below).
- High intensity heart rate, recommended only after six months or more of exercise—80-85% of MHR. For an experienced 40-year old, the THR, using 85%, could be 153.
The prudent course for the novice, after determining whether to consult with your doctor, is to start cautiously and proceed with patience. Make your aerobic fitness goal a long distance process rather than a sprint.
The Big Idea
The big idea behind aerobics was to extend exertion long enough to burn off blood glucose and force the body to free up triglycerides for fuel. Triglycerides are the main form of fat storage in the body and a high serum triglyceride level is a risk factor for heart disease.
When we eat too much sugar or refined carbs, the excess calories are converted to triglycerides and stored as fat. Because our blood sugar will also be high, the body will respond with insulin. Unfortunately, chronically high insulin locks the fat into the cell. So the key is to minimize sugar and refined carbs, and exercise in stretches long enough to burn off the glucose, lower the insulin, and release triglycerides for fuel.
There’s another benefit: Aerobic exercise also improves the ratio of “good” HDL cholesterol to the “bad” LDL cholesterol. In fact, we need both forms of cholesterol, but the modern lifestyle has gotten them out of whack and that’s a risk factor for chronic disease.
Any of you who have done aerobic exercise can also attest to the stress reduction benefit. I have a clear memory from my high school days, of walking out of the locker room after a cross-country workout. The sun was setting, I was freshly showered, a bunch of endorphins had been triggered, and I had this wonderful feeling of well being that I still remember all these years later. Its called the "runner's high."
What We Do
In the morning the beautiful wife rises early and walks with her girlfriends. She wears a pedometer and her daily goal is the 10,000 steps Dr. Cooper popularized. The girls talk constantly, never run out of things to say, and the BW comes home rejuvenated and full of news.
About mid day I take my walk. I go down 125 steps and touch the sand of the beach. Then I walk back up and hike to the top of a nearby hill, about 700 feet high. The round trip takes an hour; I get plenty of noontime sunshine, do some push-ups and sit-ups at the hilltop, and come home refreshed. On alternate days I ride a mountain bike.
Your schedule will be different, especially if you have an armful of kids. But figure out a way to get regular aerobic exercise for at least 20 minutes, a total of 3 hours a week, and it will transform your health, reduce your stress, and give you vitality.
Healthy Change
We dedicate four of the Healthy Changes to exercise. They cover the concept, stretching, aerobic, and resistance (weights). This week we offer Healthy Change #44:
Add aerobic exercises to your workout, three hours a week if possible.
Please comment
What do you do for aerobic exercise? Please share what you’re doing and how it has improved your life.
Friday, November 9, 2012 at 7:44PM | by Skip Hellewell | 15 Comments | 6 References | Share Article | Email Article
Reader Comments (15)
I recently started running. I am really enjoying the benefits. Physically and mentally I see improvement.
I never thought I could be a runner. In the past I would get about half a mile and have to walk. I would continue the cycle of jogging then walking until I made my way home.
This year my mom-in-law and sis-in-law ran a marathon. Wow. While I can't do that I started to wonder how far I could run. They invited me to do a half marathon next year. I have been running to see if this may be possible before saying yes. When I started, I ran until I couldn't, about .7 of a mile. The next day I tried to go further and started using an app that uses GPS to track distance and speed. Since then I alternate different routes (so I don't get bored) and try to beat the previous days distance. I am up to just over 3 miles.
Anyway, the point of this rambling is that I am doing something that I never thought I could do. It feels great, even though it is difficult some days. Mentally I am more balanced. I want to eat healthier to help the running be more successful. I am even being more patient with my kids. Exercise definitely is good.
I also do yoga. It can increase your heart rate more than you think, especially if you do the western world's "power yoga."
I too like Rachel started running in May only because I had to. I entered the St. George Marathon and I got in, so I had to start training as the marathon was happening in October. I was not a runner. I walked about 3-5 miles a day. I thought because I could walk 5 miles I should be able to at least run 3. Lets just say it was a long trial of running, aches and pains, sickness and so forth. I hated every minute of it - only because I was in so much pain during and after running. I would see people running and actually enjoying it- I couldn't see how they could when I was in so much pain all the time. Well I continued slowly with running a little more each day and then on a Saturday would do a long run. My first long run took me 4 hours and then I had to do a 20 miler a few weeks before the marathon. It was there that I started to love running. I could now run for an hour straight and it felt wonderful. You get a runners high and you just feel like you can do anything. I had planned to run the marathon in 5 hours, so I knew if I could run 20 miles in 4 hours then I could probably run the last 6 in an hour. It isn't that easy. When you are out there tired and worn out and hot and with all the aches and pains. Well I ran the marathon, but at mile 6 my right leg gave out and I couldn't walk on it or put any pressure on it. I had a choice to quit or limp along. Let's just say it was a very long 20 miles. I guess my point it- Yes, I ran a marathon, but my body is now paying for it. I am in recovery and healing mode. I loved running, so I hope to get back into it. For me walking is the best aerobic exercise. Our bodies were built to move, so walking is wonderful and it is free. Jogging and running are good too, but listen to your bodies and start out slow.
I love this blog. I am trying to change my eating habits. I am addicted to sugar and I have tried many times to cut back and it is tough. I know it is important to eat clean and with less preservatives, but some of that can't pronounce ingredients taste so good at times.
I have been doing the Insanity workout with a bunch of people from my church. It is great. We start early so those who work or have to get kids off to school can be home in time to do that. I try to go 3 times a week. It has given me a great sense of accomplishment to be improving my physical body.
I love workout videos, because they give a good variety of exercises. I get to work on strength, cardio, and flexibility throughout each week. I have started running a few times a week. I'm slow, but I'm already starting to like it after years of hating it. I love the challenge that it brings to my body.
I enjoy walking and running with my dog. Sometimes I bring the kids along in the jogging stroller. A lady in my neighborhood leads an aerobics class at our church three days a week. I try to make it when I can. It's very convenient for moms because we work out in the gym while the kids run around and play with each other.
I have been a runner, ok more like a jogger because I am not fast at all, for many years and have done many different lengths of races, including a half and a full marathon. Like others said previously, I didn't like it at first but I have grown to love it, especially that high of running farther or faster than you did before, or crossing the finish line of a race. A few months back, I decided to switch things up a bit and go for a triathlon, even though I have never been much of a swimmer and have never really done it for exercise. However, I am so glad I did! I love swimming now. I am still slow but it is something I will likely keep in my exercise routine for as long as I am still around to exercise. I have also always enjoyed a good bike ride but I am in love with it now and got a fancy new road bike as an early Christmas gift. I have plans to complete 2 to 3 more triathlons in.2013, all of different sprint lengths until the end of next summer when I plan to do the Spudman Olympic length tri. I am so pumped. I have the best exercise partner who I look forward to talking w/ each day and my attitude, sleep, energy, etc is always better when I am exercising.
I enjoy exercising, especially yoga and walking, but I have found it very hard to keep in a good routine with kids. I'm not comfortable with leaving my kids at the gym daycare and being pregnant definitely limits the type of exercise you can do. I think for now I'll stick to walking since I can take the kids in the stroller, but I need to be more dedicated to that, especially now that it's gotten cold.
Hi Skip! I love your blog. Thank you for keeping us all inspired and helping us to be healthier! Just a quick note about target heart rate. You mention that if you are 40 a good target heart rate is 180. Actually, a 40 year old should not typically go over 153, which is 85% of a 40 year old's maximum target heart rate. Most "normal" people don't need to get anywhere near their maximum to get a good work out. I thought it was worth mentioning for anyone who is new to figuring out where their heart rate should be during exercise.
Hi Jen Thanks for your note on target heart rate. I've revised the post to add this information, using the Mayo Clinic heart rate calculator. Best to you.
I've been following your blog for some time, but have never commented. Your blog has truly transformed the way that I think about food and health. Thank you!
One of the things that I love about this blog and your ideology is that we are encouraged to reflect on traditions and traditional ways of living/eating. With regards to exercise- traditionally it would be ludicrous for people to have to take time out of their day to move around! I find it ironic that our lifestyles are such that we have to plan time to move our bodies. What a truly strange day and age we live in :) I do go to a gym in the mornings, but have also tried to incorporate activity into my daily life and sometimes think about what we have lost by not eating by the "sweat of our brow."
Dear Charice
You get it! Word of Wisdom living is a collective journey to rediscover Eden. This blog is powered by the light coming on in readers like yourself. Together we can make a difference and be a light in a darkening food world. Best,
My chocolate lab and I head out early each morning (4:30 am on work days!) on a fast walk for an hour. No matter what the weather brings, we head out. I hated waking so early at first...but now I love it! It's often my favorite hour of the day. It's quiet, no phone calls, no traffic and we usually have the neighborhood to ourselves. It's become a great time to think and meditate as well. My body--and mind--are better for it!
HI Skip,
I am trying to find the book "ZIon by the sea." I think you are the author. I would love to purchase this book for my dad for Christmas. He is a Glassford and spent his youth in Laguna Beach. His grandfather is "Hap" Glassford and they are mentioned in the book.
We live in Highland, Utah. Is there anyway I can find and purchase this book?
Thanks so much,
Kristy
Hi Kristy
It's true that I wrote the book, "Zion By The Sea: Saints, Sinners, and Surfers." The book is an account of the founding of Laguna Beach by early Mormons, and those who followed. If your father is Carleton Glassford, I believe he already has a copy. There is a small inventory of books remaining but they have become precious. But I can be reached at Skip (at) Word of Wisdom Living (dot) com. Best to you.
My lung has been pumping fast and then slow
Is this normal?