Exercise Advice and Tips

Cardiovascular exercise for improving the functioning of the heart and lungs (cardiovascular system), is recommended for all individuals. Clearance by a GP should be obtained for people over the age of 35 or those with risk factors for cardiovascular disease.  There are many forms of cardiovascular exercise ranging from exercise bikes, treadmills, or cross trainers, to outside running, jogging, cycling or swimming.  This type of exercise is good for all-round fitness because it increases your heart rate and gets the blood pumping around your body.

Your heart rate can be measured with a heart rate monitor or by palpating (feeling) either the carotid artery, the temporal artery, or the radial artery.  The easiest site is either the carotid or the radial artery.

When you're taking your heart rate you measure it in beats per minute (counting the number of beats for 60 seconds).  To work out the required intensity for your age and level of fitness calculate your Aerobic Training Zone (ATZ).  This is defined as a % range of your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR).  Your MHR is worked out by subtracting your age in years from 220.

This will tell you how many beats per minute (bpm) your heart can pump during hard exercise.

To make it easy for you, the ATZ for ages 20 years to 80 years has been worked out below:

Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)

The Borg scale of perceived exertion is another way of determining how hard you are working.  Using your own subjective Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) on a scale of 0–10, RPE helps you evaluate your internal comfort zone, or “how you feel” during the exercise session and is assessed by use of a 0-to-10 chart to rate the feelings caused by your exertion.

Check out our range of Treadmills, Exercycles  (or Exercise Bikes), Elliptical Cross Trainers and Rowing Machines.