How fast should I go? – working out at the right intensity

How fast should I go? The answer is “it depends”.  If your doctor has said you need to start exercising (maybe because of your arthritis, high blood pressure, cholesterol or maybe diabetes) then is it best to start at a moderate intensity level where you can recieve the benefits of aerobic exercise without unnecessarily pushing yourself too hard. 

Ok so you are still asking, how fast should I go? 

There are two simple measures that can tell you this : the “Breath Sound Check” and the “Talk Test”. 

The Breath Sound Check is a way to ensure a minimal exercise level is reached: you should be able to hear your breathing when you perform aerobic exercise. When you can hear your breath you have reached your “Ventilatory Threshold” which is the point where your body is exercises at a comfortable safe level but still recieving the cardiovascular benefits.  The ventilatory threshold is unique and different for everyone.  Those who are less active, can hear their breathing much sooner.  To find your threshold walk briskly or slowly jog for one minute until you begin to hear your breath sounds.  Maintaining an audible breath sound throughout your exercise time means you are at the correct level.

The principle of the Talk Test is simple: you should be able to have a conservation while exercising.  If you have having difficulty talking and are out of breath, you are working too hard and have reached an anaerobic level.  These means your body is burning more oxygen than you are breathing in, slow it down to more comfortable breathing level. 

The Breath Sound Check and the Talk Test are good tools that can be used in combination and provide you with a personalized, yet simple, criteria of the proper work out level for general health and fitness.    So the question you may have is how long should I go?

When starting a new routine, especially for people who have previously been less active or sedentary, it is best to start slow.  Begin with six minutes a day at the Breath Sound Check pace (plus a few minutes leading up to it and slow down) and build your activity level up to 30-60 minutes a day, 4-7 days a week.  Once you become more active you will find you can go longer and faster and still be in the safe Talk Test levels. 

Sources: 

 1.  Goode, R.C., Mertens, R., Shaiman, S. and Mertens, D. (1998).  Voice, Breathing, and control of exercise intensity.  Advances in Experimental Medicine & Biology, 450, 223-229.

2.  Mertens, R., Bell, H.J. and Goode, R.C. (2001). The Breath Sound Check and Exercise at or about the Ventilatory Threshold.  In, Frontiers in Modeling and Control of Breathing. Ed. Poon, C. and Kazemi, H. pp. 375-382.  Plenum, New York

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