Kenneth Gardner - Fitness club

A variety of factors can be used to assess how hard we are exercising. Some of them are quite simple. The assessments focus on our blood pressure, heart rate or pulse rate, breathing, oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, perspiration, body...

During meaningful exercise, changes take place in the functions of the relevant organs and systems. These changes are eventually responsible for the adaptations that take place over time and subsequently the improvements that we enjoy.

Your heart rate

The use of the heart rate or pulse rate is a simple and very practical way of determining the impact of exercise on our body. If you subtract your age from 220 you will get your maximum heart rate. That number should be used to determine how fast your heart should beat when you are exercising hard enough and safely, especially during aerobic exercises. The range of 40 to 85 per cent of your maximum heart rate is recommended for persons who are exercising to improve their strength or endurance for health purposes.

The intensity of our exercise sessions should be guided by our level of fitness. Those who are physically healthy and fit are able to exercise more intensely, that is, at a higher level of intensity, to improve their strength or endurance for health purposes. As you improve in performance, there will be simultaneous improvements in some or all of the following: strength, endurance, blood pressure and heart rate breathing.

The improvement is a good indicator that you can start exercising harder to accomplish even more improvement. How hard we exercise will also vary based on the type of exercise we are doing. Aerobic exercises are better monitored with the pulse check, flexibility exercises are better monitored by a time component and strength exercises with the number of repetitions.

Pom poms(aerobic exercise)

1. Start in a standing position with your arms straight out to the sides.

2. Hop on your left foot as you raise your right leg straight in front of you.

3. Keep the leg straight as you bring your hands together and clap them under your thigh, all in one smooth continuous motion.

4. Swing your arms out to the sides as you hop off the right foot and repeat the above.

5. Repeat, hopping on the left foot then the other while raising the opposite straight leg, clapping the hands underneath.

6. The arms should return to the straight position in between each hop.

Spinal twist(flexibility exercise)

1. Start by sitting with your left leg straight in front of you, your right leg bent and right foot crossed over the left knee.

2. Stretch by placing your left elbow on the outside of your right knee, push the right knee inward.

3. At the same time, place your right hand on the floor behind you, turn your trunk and look over your right shoulder.

4. Keep pushing with your left elbow and turn with your head over your right shoulder until you feel good tension along your spine and hip, hold for 15 to 30 seconds.

5. Repeat on the other side.

Straight leg ab-twisters (strength exercise)

1. Start by sitting with your legs together straight in front of you, arms crossed over your chest.

2. Lean back at least one third of the way to the floor, hold this position throughout and turn to the left, look to the floor on the left side.

3. Next, do the same to the right side.

4. Repeat, turning left and right while leaning back, legs straight and so on.