So when you come to the gym, you're probably thinking about improving your athletic performance,
toning up, losing weight and lets be honest...looking good.
You're probably not thinking about your heart health or your risk of disease.
Your fitness level is actually one of the best predictors for your long term risk of
disease.
Research suggests that being unfit is even greater risk to your future health than being
a smoker or having diabetes.
So what if there's a simple test you could do which can accurately show you your risk
of heart disease. We're going to show you just that.
The key to this test is how well your heart recovers immediately after exercise.
To complete this test you're going to need three things.
A way to monitor your heart rate.
A way to measure your rate of perceived exertion.
And details of when to stop the test.
To measure your heart you can use any heart rate monitoring device but today we are going
to be using the Microsoft Band 2.
Now we won't quite be reaching your maximum heart rate today but make no mistake this
test is going to be tough. It's meant for people who regularly go to the gym, people
who cycle or run, and those who play sport recreationally.
If only we had somebody like this who could help us.
There are a number of reasons to stop this test, but perhaps the most valuable and easiest
method is to calculate your maximum heart rate.
If you don't have a piece of wearable technology which could tell you this, you can easily
calculate this.
All it is 220 minus your age.
And that gives us 195 beats.
We'll set a warning on Selena's Microsoft Band when she's nearing her maximum heart
rate.
We're going to be performing this test on a Watt Bike because it's one of the most accurate
machines we know to perform exercise tests on.
In fact, it's good enough for Team GB Cycling.
If you don't have access to a Watt Bike don't worry, you can still do the test and i'll
be showing you how in just a moment.
The Watt Bike has a built in program called 'Maximum Ramp Test' which safely and progressively
increases the intensity to get to your maximum heart rate.
If you don't have access to a Watt Bike you can also do this test on a treadmill
or you simply can go for a run in an outdoor space with a heart rate monitor like the Microsoft
Band.
You'll need an open space like a park or track where you won't be stopped and you need to
increase the intensity based on your own rate of perceived exertion.
Remember, it's far more accurate to complete this test on a Watt Bike with a heart rate
monitor than it is in an uncontrolled environment.
Rate of perceived exertion is how hard you feel you're exercising. Up to about level
11 is how you feel when you are sitting to walking.
12 to 16 is how we feel when we're usually exercising.
And 18 over 20 should be the hardest you've ever exercised, you should really be feeling
this because you're getting closed to your maximum.
Selena, how're you feeling?
I think that will about do it.
So Selena has worked herself really hard. She's at maximum exertion and near her maximum
heart rate.
She's also at 18 out of 20 on a rate of perceived exertion.
From this moment on we start timing one minute to make sure Selena's heart rate drops at
least 18 beats.
Your heart rate reducing by 18 beats or more is normal. But if it's less than this you
may be showing some early warning signs of heart disease.
Now there's no need to panic if you get a result like this, but we do recommend you
go to your GP or book in for a Health Assessment.
Now if your heart drops by 12 beats or less in the first minute of recovery, then we recommend
you see your GP more urgently.
I've been a Physiologist for over 8 years and in that time I've seen thousands of clients
and I can't stress enough how important fitness is to your long-term health.
Studies have shown that fitness is a strong predictor of all cause mortality.
In fact it's a stronger predictor than traditional risk factors such as high blood pressure and
high cholesterol.
So you're doing yourself a really big favour by first of all measuring your fitness and
continuing to stay fit in the long-term.