How Fit Are You?

Your heart rate is the number of beats per minute (BPM) your heart pumps blood throughout your body. Its also one of the best indicators of your cardiovascular fitness. During exercise, your heart rate can give you an accurate idea of how hard you are training, and weather you need to increase the pace or scale it back.

You maximum heart rate (MHR) is the fastest your heart is capable of beating in a minute. You can predict or estimate this figure by subtracting your age in years from 220. Your optimum training zone will be roughly 60-70 % of your MHR. At this rate your body will be exercising its cardiovascular system most efficiently. It will be using oxygen to but a carbohydrate energy source called glycogen which is the best fuel for your training.

Most people have a resting heart rate (RHR) of 60-80 BPM. The fitter you are, the lower your heart rate. The time to get you most accurate heart rate is in the morning, before you get out of bed and after a good nights sleep. Your RHR will decrease as you get fitter and your heart gets stronger. The heart is a muscle and like any other muscle, if you work it, it will get bigger and stronger. The bigger and stronger it is, the more efficient it becomes so it pumps less to deliver the same blood flow.

<b>BMI (Body Mass Index)  </B>

BMI is used internationally to calculate a person’s ideal weight in relation to height. A BMI of 18.5 – 24.9, less than 18.5 is under weight and more then 25 is overweight.

To calculate BMI in metric measurements:

Weight in kilograms / (height in meters * height in meters)

E.g. 57 kg / 1.7m * 1.7m) = 19.6

To calculate BMI in US measurements:

Weight in pounds / (height in inches * height in inches) * 703

E.g. (125 lbs / (67 * 67) * 703 = 19.6

What most people don’t realize is the BMI calculation was devised in the late 1800’s when people and very different body shapes so if your BMI is over 25 you can use that fact as an excuse.