Which Exercise is Best for you?

Exercise and diet are the two most important pillars of good health, and both have as many options and controversies as there are people to give advice on them.  Choosing an exercise regime that fits your specific requirement could be a good starting point for a long term investment in well-being.

You first need to take stock of your current status and then your requirements.

How do you assess your present physical state? Start with the following:

1. How old are you?
2. Do you have any medical problems (heart, knees, anaemia etc)?
3. Are you a strong willed person who can go it alone or do you need company and entertainment?
4. What are your constraints (no playground, unsafe roads, no gym nearby etc) 

The role of Age:

In general, the younger the age, more vigorous should be the exercise. A 16 year old, for instance, should play a vigorous out-door game, sprint and run, undertake long distance cycling and so on, but a 60 year old would have to choose from other milder options.

A quick reckoner for cardio-vascular exercise that takes age into account is to target a heart rate of 60% of the maximal heart rate (MHR).

Apply this formula to decide how vigorous your exercise should be: Subtract your age from 220. That gives you the MHR for your age. Now target a heart rate that is 60% of that, and keep on for 30 minutes.

For example, for a 20 year old youth, the MHR is 200. He should undertake vigorous exercise such as running, so that his heart rate reaches 120 (60% of 200). For a 50 year old man, the MHR would be 170, and the heart rate should reach around 100 per minute.

Warming up.Give yourself 5-10 minutes of gradual warming up before you push your heart rate up. This is especially important for people who are above 40 years and who are getting started on an exercise regime.

How to calculate your heart rate while exercising? Most treadmills have a meter that tells you. There are special gadgets that you can wear on your wrist for detecting heart rate. Another simple way is to sense “palpitations” and pant while taking your brisk walk for example.

Cooling down is just as important as warming up. After your 30 minutes of gentle panting and palpitations are over, reduce your speed and taper off the speed gradually, allowing your body to cool off over 10 minutes.

Medical Problems

Exercise is not forbidden for those who have medical problems, but have to be specially tailored to their needs and constraints. An elderly patient with chronic heart failure may, for instance, be able to take just a slow walk for 10 minutes as advised by his cardiologist. Those with creaky knees find it difficult to run on the treadmill as the brunt of their excess weight makes their lower joints cry more. They might do well with “rowing” exercises that spares the knees. Your doctor and a good gym instructor can help you choose the right form for you.

If you have now decided to start with exercise and set your goals, watch this space next week for helping you choose your exercise regime.

As published in HT City ( Hindustan Times) dated 16th February, 2014.