The zone is the intensity of exercise that safely produces the results you want. If you exercise below the zone, you risk not getting results. If you exercise above the zone, you risk not being able to continue your exercise or, worse, you risk injury. The zone is the perfect intensity level at which to perform your cardiovascular exercise -- between 70 percent and 80 percent of your maximum ability.
How do you know when you're in the zone? There are essentially two ways: taking your heart rate and monitoring your level of perceived exertion. I prefer monitoring perceived exertion because there are a number of shortcomings in using your heart rate to monitor your exercise intensity.
First, your heart rate doesn't always directly reflect how hard you're working or how much oxygen you're consuming. A number of factors beyond your control can throw this relationship off, such as your emotional state, what you're thinking, medications you're taking, the temperature and the altitude you are in and your caffeine consumption. This could mean that although you're exercising at your prescribed target heart rate, you may be working either too hard or not hard enough.
Second, the formula to find your range (220 minus your age multiplied by 75 percent and then plus or minus 5 heart beats) is only an estimation of your heart rate and is accurate for only about a third of the population.
Third, obtaining an accurate maximum heart rate requires a maximum treadmill test and most people do not want to incur the cost and inconvenience of doing this.
Finally, have you ever taken your heart rate during exercise? Even if you're one of the lucky people whose target heart rate can be accurately calculated by the formula, trying to measure it during your workout can be next to impossible. You have to stop exercising, find your pulse and count the number of heartbeats all in a matter of seconds so your heart rate doesn't slow down too much. Many people couldn't find their pulse even if they were given an hour to do it!
You can see why I prefer perceived exertion, a method that requires you to pay close attention to your body and what's happening to it. Perceived exertion is a subjective rating of how hard you're working during exercise, which is based primarily on your breathing. You simply evaluate -- using a scale from zero to 10 -- how hard you're working based on how short of breath you are. Your optimum zone is anywhere between a seven and eight. I want you to exercise consistently at level seven when you first start out. Later, you can stay at seven or move up to working at level eight, if and when you're ready.
What you should be feeling at each level
Level 1: This is the feeling you would experience at rest. There is no feeling of fatigue. Your breathing is not at all elevated. You will not experience this level during exercise.
Level 2: This is the feeling you would experience while getting dressed. There is little or no feeling of fatigue. Your breathing is not elevated. You will rarely experience this low level during exercise.
Level 3: This is the feeling you would experience while slowly walking across the room to turn on the television. There is little feeling of fatigue. You may be slightly aware of your breathing, but it is slow and natural. You may experience this right at the beginning of an exercise session.
Level 4: This is the feeling you would experience while slowly walking outside. There is a very slight feeling of fatigue. Your breathing is slightly elevated, but comfortable. You should experience this level during the initial stages of your warm-up.
Level 5: This is the feeling you would experience while walking to the store. There is a slight feeling of fatigue. You are aware of your breathing, which is deeper than that of level four. You should experience this level at the end of your warm-up.
Level 6: This is the feeling you would experience when you are walking somewhere and are very late for an appointment. There is a general feeling of fatigue, but you know that you can maintain this level of exertion. Your breathing is deep and you are aware of it. You should experience this level in the transition from your warm-up to your exercise session and during the initial phase of learning how to work at level seven or eight.
Level 7: This is the feeling you would experience when you are exercising vigorously. There is a definite feeling of fatigue, but you are quite sure you can maintain this level for the rest of your exercise session. Your breathing is deep and you are definitely aware of it. You could carry on a conversation, but you would probably choose not to do so. This is the baseline level of exercise that you should maintain in your workout sessions.
Level 8: This is the feeling you would experience when you are exercising very vigorously. There is a definite feeling of fatigue, and if you asked yourself if you could continue for the remainder of your exercise session, your answer would be that you think you could, but you're not 100-percent sure. Your breathing is very deep. You could still carry on a conversation, but you don't feel like it. This becomes the feeling you should experience only after you are comfortable reaching level seven and are ready for a more intense workout. This is the level that produces rapid results for many people.
Level 9: This is the feeling that you would experience if you were exercising very, very vigorously. You would experience a definite feeling of fatigue, and if you asked yourself if you could continue this pace for the remainder of your exercise session, your answer would be you probably could not. Your breathing is very labored. It would be very difficult to carry on a conversation. This is a feeling you may experience for short periods when trying to achieve a level eight. This is a level that many athletes train at, and it is difficult for them. You should not be experiencing level nine on a routine basis and should slow up when you do
Level 10: You should not experience level ten. This is the feeling you would have with all-out exercise. This level cannot be maintained for very long, and there is no benefit in reaching it