LA JOLLA CHIROPRACTIC HEALTH CENTER
LA JOLLA CHIROPRACTIC HEALTH CENTER


    What is Sufficient Cardiovascular Exercise?


Of all the muscles we try to exercise in our various fitness routines and strategies, we often fail to
properly address our heart -- the most important of all muscles!  A good cardiovascular routine
needs to be well planned in order to provide adequate exercise intensity and volume for the heart,
as well as to create the optimal metabolic changes in order to burn body fat and achieve ideal
long-term physical health.  How is this done?

Well, one answer comes from research which reported significant increases in the HDL (good
cholesterol) levels in men that exercised at or above 75% of their maximum heart rate (maxHR), 3
times a week for 12 weeks. No changes in HDL were reported in the subjects that exercised at
only 65% of their maxHR. This specifically shows that only after a certain exercise  intensity level is
reached, the body starts to manufacture the correct carrier proteins to bring cholesterol from its
body stores to the liver to be “burned” or used up!  Without such level of stimulation, exercise is
helpful in other ways, but one’s cardiovascular health is not as significantly impacted.

To calculate your training heart rate, take the quantity (220-Your Age) and multiply it by 0.75 to get
your target minimum training heart rate which will positively affect your HDL levels.  For example, if
you are 40 years old, take (220-40) X .75 = (180) X .75 = 135 beats per minute for your cardio
training heart rate.

Important Note:   If you are out of shape, start training at a lower heart rate level , say 65% of
your maximum heart rate level, and then gradually build up to a 75% max heart rate level.  A good
rule of thumb is never exercise at a sustained level which has you breathing so hard that you
cannot carry on a normal conversation.  (I often recite a memorized poem to see if I can carry on a
normal conversation.)  When beginning exercise, also start with exercise duration of 5 or 10 or 20
minutes, and gradually add more time with succeeding sessions.

Exercise volume, however, has been found to be more important than exercise intensity.  It was
reported in studies that weekly total mileage was more important in raising HDL levels than was
exercise intensity.  Interestingly, a higher volume of exercise provided significant increases in
HDL in a shorter period of time. This indicates that there may be a relationship between exercise
volume and the length of the training program.  Most of the exercise training studies identify a
weekly mileage threshold of 7 to 10 miles/week for significant increases in HDL’s.  This correlates
with an average minimum work-out of 25 to 40 minutes, 3 times per week, at a gym on
cardiovascular training equipment.  If you are eventually able to exercise up to 60 minutes, it would
be even better.
La Jolla Chiropractor Dr .Michael Ackerman helps patients to understand and release the emotional stress patterns underlying their
physical problems and disease.  Dr. Michael Ackerman has been in practice as a chiropractor in La Jolla, California, for 11 years of
his 23 years in practice.  Being a La Jolla Chiropractor has been extremely rewarding for Dr. Michael Ackerman, and he is unique
among the chiropractic doctors in La Jolla in that he has worked with professional athletic teams, such as the New Orleans Saints,
the Delta Festival Ballet Company, as well as collegiate and amateur athletes from most sports backgrounds.  Dr. Michael
Ackerman enjoys practicing as a chiropractor by the sea in such a beautiful town as La Jolla, California, 92037, but he also does
healing consultations by phone with people from all over the country.  If  you are looking for chiropractors in La Jolla, call Dr. Michael
Ackerman first for a consultation.