My hair is soaked. Sweat pours down my face. Pedalling madly at my first-ever cycling class at age 63, I am exhilarated and appalled. This is what vigorous exercise feels like?
It’s a When Harry Met Sally moment, except I’m experiencing serious gusset agony from the bike seat. But now I understand why a gentle swim (three times a week) is only considered moderate exercise.
Like most people, I follow NHS advice to do 150 minutes (two and a half hours) of moderate-intensity activity a week. But a new study claims we should aim for four times more (10 hours weekly) moderate and vigorous training to significantly cut the risk of heart attack.
Published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine last month, the study examined data from 17,000 adults, aged 57 on average, who wore fitness trackers to monitor their moderate (brisk walking, gardening, aqua aerobics) and vigorous (running, cycling, playing football) exercise. Those who met the 150-minute-a-week target experienced a “modest” 8 to 9 per cent lower risk of heart problems. However, those who did 370 minutes had a 20 per cent reduced risk, while 560 to 610 minutes brought a 30 per cent risk reduction.
All of which makes me wonder whether we have been underestimating how much exercise we should be doing. There’s a history of heart disease and strokes in my family, and my LDL (bad) cholesterol is inching up. So for a month, I commit to an hour and 20 minutes every day of increasing my heart rate while wearing a Polar H10 Heart Rate Sensor (£65.99-£79.99).
Liz used the Polar H10 Heart Rate Sensor, which is worn on the chest under clothing, to track her heart rate – Rii Schroer
But can I hold down a job, a new relationship and all this exercise? How will a busy midlifer fit it all in?
Moderate versus vigorous exercise
Thankfully, even moderate exercise can reduce systolic blood pressure and cholesterol.
Professor Sanjay Sharma, a cardiology advisor for the English Football Association, the England Cricket Board and the Lawn Tennis Association who also sees patients at Cleveland Clinic London, says that moderate exercise doesn’t have to be totally punitive. It can include housework or a walk to Sainsbury’s, rather than sweating it out at the gym. I’m encouraged: now 600 minutes sounds more achievable.
“The benefits of exercise almost double in people with established coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and diabetes,” says Prof Sharma, who is also medical director of the London marathon and was lead cardiologist for the 2012 London Olympics. “People who exercise have a less stiff aorta, so it cuts the risk of a heart attack,” he explains.
“The aim [with moderate exercise] is to raise your heart rate but still just about be able to have a conversation. And the good news is, it significantly reduces cardiovascular risks.”
But Prof Sharma does agree with the study that we should include vigorous exercise in the mix. So I need to add a weekly jog or spin class.
Vigorous exercise is defined as achieving above 80 per cent of your maximum heart rate (MHR). You calculate your MHR by deducting your age from 220 – which would make it 157bpm for me – then calculate 80 per cent of that number (mine is 125.6).
“If you hit 125bpm persistently, that’s considered a decent workout and you have hit your vigorous zone,” Prof Sharma explains.
Gardening while wearing a weighted vest was one of the ‘moderate’ activities Liz factored into her week – Rii Schroer
I consult women’s gym coach and mentor Suzanne Keatley (founder of my women-only Peckham gym, Fitology), who advises variety to make this more palatable. “This will bring in lots of moderate exercise and lots of joy rather than stating you must do X amount of vigorous/moderate exercise.”
The new plan
As well as swimming, I do a Pilates class (60 mins) and an hour of strength training at Fitology each week. I also walk 10,000 steps a day (for an average stride, about 35 miles a week).
My blood pressure is optimal (it’s just pesky LDL cholesterol that won’t budge). Granted I’m not thin, and I drink alcohol. But I eat a high-fibre diet.
But if I’m committed to “Liz: 2”, I need to pack in 10 hours a week. And sweat more. Full disclosure: I haven’t run or jogged since 1976. I’m lucky I work from home, which means I can swim at 9pm after a film or power-walk back from supper. But my new partner lives on the other side of London and if I wake up there, my gym routine is shot. Plus, do I really want to lug my kit, including a weighted jacket, on the train every time? Is it unromantic to diarise overnight stays?
Here’s what I managed to do in four weeks
I spent the first day trying to download the Polar app, create a profile and test my heart rate, but finally I’m up and running. The monitor, which clips below my bra, measures my average resting heart rate, plus my minimum and maximum heart rates.
To do a “fitness test”, you lie on the floor, with the heart monitor on your chest, and breathe normally for five minutes without moving. Disappointingly, it classes me as “moderate”. I had been hoping for “good”, but at least I’m not “very low”.
An 8am Saturday gym session with weights, plus a walk, takes my heart from 57 to 117bpm. The Copenhagen hip lift (a leg raise with lifted hip from the bench) is a beast. But according to the app, this only counts as “low intensity”, though it improves basic endurance and helps burns fat.
Weight training is valuable for endurance and fat burning, even if only deemed ‘low intensity’ by Liz’s tracker – Rii Schroer
By week two, everything is diarised, from sex to Pilates. The heart rate monitor is a brilliant tool – except when it isn’t. I can wear it in the pool, but it can’t always tell I’m swimming. So I use my Fitbit (now part of Google Health) as backup. My cardio load (a measure of how hard your cardiovascular system is working over a week) is up to 81 per cent, so I’m thrilled.
I start wearing my weighted (7kg) vest around town – including to the new Marilyn Monroe show at the National Portrait Gallery (I’m encouraged to see that Marilyn herself did bench pressing). Walking to an evening do, I throw a glittery shrug over the vest.
By week four, I’m getting “Excellent” for my steady state training. A second spin class is much easier. And my cardio score is 110 per cent (up 33 per cent). I get less breathless walking up hills.
“Exercise increases your peak oxygen consumption, and that is the best marker of longevity,” says Prof Sharma. “So it’s not just about reducing cardiovascular risk, but about increasing your lifespan. The more you’ve done, the easier it becomes, because probably your peak oxygen consumption (your heart’s ability to pump out a decent cardiac output) has improved.”
The moderate exercises
Pilates and walk
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One hour Pilates, plus 30-minute walk: 202 calories
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Heart rate: from 63 to 119bpm
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Cardio load (how hard my cardiovascular system is working): 1
I’ve been doing Pilates for 18 years, and firmly believe it’s a form of strength training. Sadly, the heart monitor classes it as “low intensity”. On the bright side, I burn 202 calories. And it really does keep creakiness at bay. “It reduces the risk of osteopenia (thin bones) as we age, which is a particular problem in post-menopausal women,” says Prof Sharma.
Gardening in a weighted vest
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Heart rate: from 67 to 114bpm
Sweating among the roses in the sun feels like a proper workout. But the monitor isn’t impressed: my heart rate never goes beyond 114bpm.
Swimming
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Heart rate: from 76 to 119bpm
I love swimming, but my heart rate doesn’t reach 125bpm. Plus it burns off fewer calories (memo to self: cut the hearty breakfast).
Gym (jumping, weights, sumo lifting 30kg) plus walk
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One hour, 20 minutes: 282 calories
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Heart rate: from 69 to 138bpm
At the gym, I reach 138bpm and my monitor deems it “low intensity”. But Prof Sharma thinks even a “moderate” session is valuable. “Strength training reduces your cardiovascular mortality by about 19 per cent.”
Power walking in weighted jacket
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Two hours (6.2 miles): 370 calories
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Heart rate: from 77 to 132bpm
My monitor issues rare praise as I reach 132bpm. “Excellent!” Prof Sharma says, “walking a lot, briskly, purposefully increases your heart rate, builds stronger bones, and boosts calorie burn by 10%-15% without needing to increase speed or distance.”
The vigorous exercises
Spin class
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Heart rate: 65 to 145bpm (smashed it!)
I’m proud I last 45 minutes, even though I’m cycling many gears below the star performers who even (dear God) juggle weights. After the session, I’m elated.
Jogging
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Five circuits in the gym: 15 mins
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Heart rate: from 69 to 136bpm
As a teenager, I could run 100m, but collapsed at 200m. Now in the gym, I’ve been building in “shuffle runs” (lower impact, with short, quick strides) alongside jumping and lifting, and to my surprise it’s one of the easier activities. My heart rate reaches 136bpm.
Rowing
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Two or three times in gym session, for 400m, with three minutes in vigorous and peak: 140 calories
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Heart rate: from 65 to 141bpm
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Cardio load for four to five minutes: 4
Rowing is one of the most effective cardiovascular exercises you can do, because it engages about 85 per cent of your muscles. Experts say it quickly elevates your heart rate to optimal zones for cardio conditioning. I prefer it to jogging because I am better at straight-legged exercise and I get that vital burn at 141bpm.
Rowing engages about 85 per cent of your muscles and raises your heart rate, making it a very efficient exercise – Rii Schroer
The results
I’ve learned that my age and my predicted heart rate are the best gauge for measuring how well I should be performing. If I’m getting to 125bpm, I’m doing well.
My resting heart rate has dropped several points, a sign I’m getting in condition, says Prof Sharma. “Your heart rate variability will improve, your systolic blood pressure will drop, and then there’s how you feel mentally. Your confidence builds, you’re alert at work, you sleep better.” It’s true: I sleep better, I’ve dropped a dress size.
So yes, I will keep up the weekly spin class and the weighted jacket. I’ve moaned a lot (apologies) and it’s been expensive with all the new kit and classes. But my challenge has made me ambitious, more organised. I suspect there’s no going back.
