When you exercise, your heart rate rises due to the heavier work load as well as the increased energy and oxygen consumption by your muscles. Your exercise heart rate is affected by your exercise intensity as well as your physique and age.

Women in their 80s need to exercise despite false ideas that seniors should be inactive. An 82-year-old women should concentrate on four types of exercise: stretching, balance exercises, strength training and endurance-building activities. It is during endurance-building activities that heart rate becomes important.

Your recovery rate after exercise is a good indicator of your overall cardiovascular health. Both your heart and muscles need a brief time to recover after the strain of exercise. Once you know how to keep track of your active heart rate, you can take note of how quickly it returns to a resting rate after exercise.

Medical experts and exercise professionals use a universal calculation to determine an individual's maximum heart rate.

The average heart rate may be used to estimate the calories burned by a person during exercise. A reasonably accurate estimate of calorie expenditure should also consider additional factors such as gender, age and weight.

It is possible to exceed your maximum recommended heart rate for cardiovascular exercise – but it’s certainly not recommended. Doing so is especially risky if you have a health condition or take medication. Your best bet when determining how high you should push your heart rate during exercise is to consult a doctor.

In general, a low resting heart rate is linked to better overall physical health and fitness. There are many ways to slow a high heart rate, including lifestyle changes and weight loss.

The workout heart rate for a man 55 years of age will depend on his physical condition and his exercise goals. You can improve your heart and lung capacity by beginning at a pace that raises your heart rate to half of its maximum.

Healthy habits should begin in childhood. Children who grow up with an emphasis on fitness will have the habit for healthy living more deeply ingrained in them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children and adolescents get at least one hour of physical activity every day.

Weightlifting increases your heart rate during the short bursts of energy when you lift the weight. This strengthens your heart as well as your other muscles.

An exercise heart rate greater than 200 beats per minute is likely doing you and your heart more harm than good, and it may even be putting your overall health at risk.

For maximum fitness benefits, your heart rate on a treadmill needs to fall into your target heart rate zone. You have several ways to measure your heart rate on a treadmill as well as several ways to adjust it to fall into your target zone.