Beginning Your Exercise Program
32
Maintaining Aerobic Fitness
If you can sustain 20 continuous minutes in your target heart
rate zone, begin to increase the length and intensity of your
workout:
Exercise four to six days a week or on alternate days.
Try to reach and maintain 70-85 percent of your maximum
heart rate with moderate to somewhat hard exercise.
Exercise for 20-30 minutes.
Managing Weight
Consistent aerobic exercise will help you change your body
composition by lowering your percentage of body fat. If
weight loss is a goal, combine an increase in the length of
your workouts with a moderate decrease in caloric intake.
For weight control, how long and how often you exercise is
more important than how hard you exercise.
Exercise four to five times a week.
Try to reach and maintain 60-75 percent of your maximum
heart rate with moderate exercise.
Exercise for 30-45 minutes at 60-65 percent of your target
heart rate.
Here are some tips to achieving your weight management
goal:
Consume most of your dietary calories at breakfast and
lunch, and eat a light dinner. Do not eat close to bedtime.
Exercise before meals. Moderate exercise will help suppress
