Cardiovascular health is our ability to consume, transport and deliver oxygen throughout the body. Also known as our fitness it is best measured by a VO2 test. There are many methods used to determine what your VO2 might be from maximal effort such as the beep test to sub maximal effort usually completed on a stationary bike. The more efficient your body is at using oxygen, the higher your VO2 score will be.

Research from the University of South Carolina investigated the amount of deaths in a population that could be avoided if a specific intervention was applied. The study compared a diversity of risk factors including smoking, blood pressure, obesity, diabetes but showed that low fitness is the greatest risk factor for death. The great news is we can change this easily by incorporating exercise into our lifestyle.

Your heart loves exercise as it;

• Lowers resting heart rate
• Increases blood flow
• Lowers blood pressure
• Lowers cholesterol

The Australian Department for Health and Aging say it is essential to have 180 minutes of moderate exercise a week. This can be broken into 30 minutes a day either continuously or in 10 minute blocks. The department also recommends 120 minutes of vigorous activity a week which can be broken into 30 minute sessions.

Moderate activity can be classified as exercise that raises your heart between 50-75% of your maximum heart rate. The easiest way to calculate maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age. For instance if you are 30 years old, your maximum heart rate is estimated to be 190 beats per minute (bpm).  As a guide you should be able to maintain conversation, otherwise known as “the talk test”. Great examples of moderate intensity exercise include walking, swimming, and cycling.

Vigorous activity can be classified as exercise that raises your heart rate 75-100% of your maximum heart rate. This is very demanding and not recommended for beginners. Research has shown that vigorous or high intensity exercise gives us the best returns in just about every area of health particularly cardiovascular. Vigorous activity can be unstructured like tennis, football or structured like circuit training.

Don’t forget that a healthy diet is also important in protecting your heart. There is research that recommends red wine and dark chocolate are good for your heart. So feel free to share the love.



Happy Valentines Day!

Greg is the founder of Better Being (www.betterbeing.com.au), Australia’s only team of university qualified trainers delivering the best in personal training, group exercise and corporate health to your door. Greg was recently awarded a finalist in the 2011 Australian Exercise Professional of the Year.