The target heart rate (THR)
The rate at which your heart pumps, your heart rate, is a function of how hard it is working. Activities of higher intensity affect the heart rate, which is a good thing (assuming you're healthy and not overdoing it). The target heart rate (THR) is a common way for all of us to have an individual target for our fitness level, age and specific activities.
A particular heart rate is expressed in beats per minute (BPM) and can be measured in one of two ways: either by taking your pulse or using a heart rate monitor. Your heart beats faster when you're active than when you're at rest, so you'll want to determine the BPM during your activities.
In the middle of a brisk walk after work on a cool day, your BPM might be 135. On a three-mile jog, it might be 155. These are only examples, and not specific to your range or target. Monitoring and developing your THR and activities should only be done after gradually starting activities and working up; depending on your starting level of activity and how active you were before starting, that could be several weeks or several months.
As always, you should consult with your physician before starting any new program, especially if you are now inactive or have any chronic medical condition. Start slow and go gradually. People who take beta blockers for high blood pressure or a heart condition, as just one example, often have heart rates that are slower because of the medication.
You'll want to measure your heart rate during exercise—several times if possible, depending on the activity and duration. This will allow you to know and adjust how long our heart rate is in the desired zone. The goal is to have a specific time (20 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, etc., depending on personal fitness) for which your heart beats somewhere within this range. The range is simply a percentage of the maximum heart rate for your age.
To measure your heart rate, take a quick break in the middle of your activity (a run, a walk, raking leaves, whatever). Quickly take two fingers and place across the inside of the wrist or on your neck, just to the left (or right) of the Adam's apple and slightly above it.
Find the pulse (your blood beating through the vein). Now count the number of beats as you count off 10 seconds. Some people find it easier to look at their watch for 10 actual seconds while counting the beats. Take that number of beats and multiply it by six to get your BPM/heart rate during that stretch of activity. For example, if during your brisk walk you stopped and counted 20 beats in that 10 second interval, then your heart rate was at 120 (20x6).
What is my target heart rate?