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Worried about exercising too hard, or not hard enough, after a heart event? This video shows two simple ways to check your effort during exercise: the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale and the talk test. You'll learn what moderate intensity feels like and how to turn everyday activities, like walking or carrying groceries, into purposeful exercise.
Many people worry that they might exercise too hard or not enough after a heart event. Today, we're going to talk about how to safely and effectively monitor your exercise sessions. So how hard do you need to exercise?
The RPE scale
A tool you can use to know if you're exercising or working at an appropriate intensity range is the Borg RPE scale, or the rate of perceived exertion. This scale is asking, how hard are you working?
The RPE scale is a numeric scale from 6 to 20. Six is like being in a chair doing no exercise or very light intensity, and 20 would be the hardest effort you can imagine, or maximal effort. Without focusing on the numbers, a safe range for cardiac rehab patients is fairly light to somewhat hard, or in the middle.
Moderate intensity exercise looks different for everyone, and heart rate is not always the best indicator of intensity. So using the RPE scale can help you gain confidence in your safety and in your exercise level.
The talk test
Another way to monitor your intensity of exercise would be to use the talk test. Can you sing? Can you whistle? Could you tell me a whole story without breaks? Okay, it's probably too easy. Let's pick up the pace a little bit.
All right. My breathing is a little bit heavier. I can only maybe get part of a full sentence out, but I'm not speaking in full sentences. This would be a good range to exercise in.
And then there's the absolute heavy range, and we're exercising too hard.
So breathing a little bit heavier and not being able to talk through [unclear in captions], that's more of a moderate effort.
Putting it together
So, how are you right now? Is it in that 6 to 10 range, and we're not working too hard? Eleven to 15, that's where we're moderate. Probably a little heavier. Maybe I'll get a little sweaty. And then 16 to 20, we probably can't do that exercise for very much longer and have to stop.
Moderate exercise is the most effective and safe when in recovery, and it keeps you in that purposeful and fun range to meet your goals. Using the RPE chart, the talk test, or simply asking yourself, "How hard am I working right now?" can help you stay in the target zone and exercise safely and effectively.
Everyday activity
The next time you are on a walk around the block or lifting groceries out of your car, ask yourself, "How hard am I working right now?" Try to see if you can take your activities of daily living and turn them into purposeful exercise. You might notice a difference in intensity, a little bit of sweat, and a faster breathing rate.
Wrap-up
Continue to watch out for any warning signs of exercising too intensely. If you have any questions on this video, chat with your care manager in the Movn Rehab app. Your care manager is there to help you.
Thank you for watching How Hard Do I Need to Exercise? You can find more educational videos in the resource section in the app.