Bellin Health Heart Blog

Walk for 30 minutes or exercise for heart rate goal?

Submitted by Kelly Galler on Tue, 2009-07-21 15:33
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Question:

Is better to walk for 30 minutes daily or walk for heart rate?

I am a male of 43 years young, 225 pounds, high blood presure (taking meds for it).

My wife is 40 years young,187 pounds, high pressure in the family, she doesn't have high blood pressure though.

Answer:

The answer to your question, depends on what your goal is.

 

If you have not exercised much before, if you are overweight (you told me your weight but not your height), then just getting out and walking for 30 minutes a day is the best thing you and your wife can do for yourselves!! That is the place to start for sure. You can always build from that, gradually increase the time you are walking, gradually increase the intensity of your walk, so then you can move into exercising with a heart rate target.

 
Getting some pounds off, watching salt in your diet, having regular exercise are going to DRAMATICALLY help your blood pressure.
 
 
Now if you have been walking already for a while, this is more of a routine for you, and you want to burn some extra calories or just step it up an notch. Then, you could think about watching your heart rate. Here are a couple of links to determine your heart rate goal:
 
 
 
Age Target HR Zone
50–85 %		 Average Maximum
Heart Rate
100 %
20 years 100–170 beats per minute 200 beats per minute
25 years 98–166 beats per minute 195 beats per minute
30 years 95–162 beats per minute 190 beats per minute
35 years 93–157 beats per minute 185 beats per minute
40 years 90–153 beats per minute 180 beats per minute
45 years 88–149 beats per minute 175 beats per minute
50 years 85–145 beats per minute 170 beats per minute
55 years 83–140 beats per minute 165 beats per minute
60 years 80–136 beats per minute 160 beats per minute
65 years 78–132 beats per minute 155 beats per minute
70 years 75–128 beats per minute 150 beats per minute
 
This chart is off the second link from the American Heart Association. Just to give you an idea of where your heart rate needs to get, to give you that aerobic exercise and burn some calories.
 
Now, do make sure that your blood pressure is under control with the medications that you are on. And just start with the 30 minutes walking if you have not been exercising before. I really encourage you and your wife to get out there on these nice days now and take advantage of the weather. Start with this and build up to longer, faster walks and you will be improving your health for sure!
 
Thanks for writing, let me know if there is more I can do for you.

 

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