Cardiovascular Fitness

What is Cardiovascular Fitness (What is the condition of my heart?)

So, now we now know that the heart is the most important part of the cardiovascular system and how to “exercise” the heart. So what does it mean to have cardiovascular fitness?  Well, let’s talk more about the heart and the three different sizes of the heart. The heart typically is one of three distinct sizes and conditions. A normal, de-conditioned heart can be relatively small and weak because like any muscle that is not exercised properly, it begins to atrophy, or just simply waste away. An enlarged unhealthy heart normally grows to compensate for a deficiency in the cardiovascular system, high blood pressure, or some other vascular deformity. This type of enlarged heart is not efficient, like a heart that grows large through training and exercise. The athletic heart is strong and healthy. It is relatively large and highly efficient; pumping more blood with each stroke and with less effort. (Remember the heart’s job is to pump blood throughout the body system of veins and arteries). The “athletic” heart does its job very well and will continue to do its job well, if you take care of it.

What is an “athletic” or “conditioned” heart?

So, how can I tell what the condition of my heart is? The easiest way to tell the condition of your heart is to measure your heart rate in the morning when you first wake up. This is considered your “resting heart rate”. A person who has a conditioned cardiovascular system and heart would have a resting heart rate of 60 beats per minute or less. A person with an unconditioned heart will usually have a resting heart rate of 80 beats per minute (BPM) or more. If you work out the numbers for a 24-hour period, that would work out to 86,400 total beats for a conditioned person, and 115,200 beats for an unconditioned person. So even at rest, an unconditioned heart would beat 30,000 times more than a conditioned heart. The difference and efficiency a conditioned heart gives you is easy to see if you take a minute to check your resting heart rate. Just to make a comparison, Lance Armstrong, 7-time winner of the Tour de France, the most grueling endurance-cycling race in the world, has a resting heart rate of 32-34 bpm. This shows without a doubt, that the conditioned heart is more efficient than the unconditioned heart.

The Key to a Healthy Heart

We could talk inexhaustibly here about all the scientific terms involved with how to describe cardiovascular fitness, and how the cardiovascular system works to bring nutrients to the muscles and also remove waste products from your muscles through the body, but we are simply going to tell you how to get your heart healthy. First, I want to ask that you check with your doctor if you are unsure if you can exercise or not. Second, make sure you have some good walking, or running athletic shoes. (Flip-flops do not apply here). Third, now is the fun part, start walking, check with your local gym for aerobic classes, ride a bike, walk on a treadmill. The options are endless. We can certainly recommend any sort of exercise custom tailored for you. But here are the most important parts. Duration of exercise and intensity are the two most important factors. You need to exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes. In addition, we recommend keeping your heart rate between 60-80% of your max heart rate. We will explain more about heart rate values and duration of exercise in the heart rate section of wellness4everyone, but for now, just know that if you can talk or have a conversation without gasping for breath, you are most likely in the 60-80% max heart range. Moreover, as an added bonus, this just happens to be the best heart rate zone for burning fat in the body. So as you are exercising your heart, you are also burning fat!  Wow, what wonderful bodies we have!

References

Frederick C. Hatfield PhD. ISSA, (2004) Fitness, The Complete Guide

Sally Edwards, (1992), The Heart Rate Monitor book