Senior exercising does not mean over-exertion. In order to ensure that you are working out to achieve maximum fitness, you will need to ensure that you are aware of what your body is saying to you about how hard you are working out. There are several tests that you can use to gauge your level of exertion including measuring your target heart rate, perceived exertion, and

the "talk" test.

TARGET HEART RATE

Your maximum heart rate is about 220 minus your age. Your target heart rate should be 50%-85% of your maximum heart rate (MHR). If you are a beginner, you'll want to stay closer to 50%, and, if you're very fit, you'll aim for 85%.

IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING YOUR TARGET HEART RATE

Knowing your target heart rate is one way to pace yourself. The goal of senior fitness is not to wear yourself out, but to increase your cardiovascular health and maintain a healthy weight. Learning how to pace your workouts by using your target heart rate lets you know when you are working too hard or not hard enough.

HOW TO FIND YOUR TARGET HEART RATE (HR)

You can do the math yourself, or use the figures (beats per minute) below provided by the American Heart Association (AHA).

Age 50-85 % 100 %

50 years 85 - 145 170

55 years 83 - 140 165

60 years 80 - 136 160

65 years 78 - 132 155

70 years 75 - 128 150

THE TALK TEST

The talk test is a simple measure of physical exertion. Generally, this measure says that if you can sing while you are exercising, you are working out at a light pace. If you can carry on a conversation, you are exercising at a moderate pace. And if you are too out of breath to talk at all, your level of activity would be considered vigorous.

BODY MASS INDEX (BMI)

Just as important as how you are working out is how effective your workouts are. Experts agree that the healthiest individuals have a body fat to body mass ratio that falls within a certain range. This range is defined by a person's Body Mass Index, or BMI. Additionally, excess weight combined with inactivity is responsible for hundreds of thousands of needless deaths per year in the United States alone. With this in mind, it is important to know just where you fall on the BMI scale. If your goals include weight loss and you have been previously inactive, remember to workout slowly at first until you increase your cardiovascular health. If you are already relatively fit, the BMI scale can help you keep your weight within the recommended range for your height. Follow the directions on the following chart to find your BMI. (charts can be found simply by 'Googling' BODY MASS INDEX)

Healthy Weight BMI from 18.5 up to 25 refers to a healthy weight.

Overweight BMI from 25 up to 30 refers to overweight.

Obese BMI 30 or higher refers to obesity. Obese persons are also overweight.