Exercise & Fitness for women over 40

National Women's Health Report,  Dec, 2002  by Pamela Peeke

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6-No exertion at all

7-Very, very light

9-Very light

11-Light

13-Somewhat hard

15-Hard

17-Very hard

19-Very, very hard

20-Maximal exertion

Another way to determine how much physical activity a movement or exercise provides is to find out its MET, or metabolic equivalent, which exercise researchers and physiologists use in evaluating activities. Basically, a MET is a way of measuring how much oxygen, or energy, you're using. So one MET is the amount of energy you use when you're not doing anything. Two METs is twice resting energy expenditure, three METs is three times resting energy expenditure, etc. (16) The number of METs you should aim for differs depending on your maximum MET level: five METs would be for an average healthy woman; women with disabilities would exercise at a lower MET level and achieve cardiovascular benefits.

At the same time you're tracking your METs, you want to gradually increase your Physical Activity Level, or PAL. For instance, if you're relatively sedentary, your PAL is between 1.0 and 1.4. An active lifestyle translates to a PAL of between 1.6 and 1.9 and a very active lifestyle to a PAL between 1.9 and 2.5.

The chart on this page shows how much your PAL would change for each hour of the particular activity. Aerobic exercise is when your heart rate increases to a target zone. Strength training--lifting weights, calisthenics, working against resistance as you do with pushups, for example--is designed to cause skeletal muscle, the muscles that move your arms and legs and other parts of your body, to contract. Ideally, you should try to do some form of strength training (it doesn't have to require weights) three times a week, and get 30 minutes of aerobic activity four to seven times a week.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVEL (PAL)

                           PAL Change   Weight   Aerobic/
Activity             METs   (1 hour)   bearing?  anaerobic

Lying quietly        1.0      0           No      Neither
Walking (2 mph)      2.5      0.09       Yes      Aerobic
Golf with cart       2.5      0.09       Yes      Slightly

Cycling (leisurely)  3.5      0.14       Yes      aerobic
Raking lawn          4.0      0.17       Yes      Aerobic

Golf without cart    4.4      0.19       Yes      Aerobic
Gardening            4.4      0.19       Yes      Both

Walking (4 mph)      4.5      0.2        Yes      Aerobic
Mowing lawn          4.5      0.2        Yes      Aerobic
(power mower)

Tennis (doubles)     5.0      0.23       Yes      Both
Dancing (aerobic)    6.0      0.29       Yes      Aerobic

Climbing hills       6.9      0.37       Yes      Both
(with no pack)
Swimming             7.0      0.34        No      Aerobic

Walking (5 mph)      8.0      0.40       Yes      Aerobic
Jogging              10.2     0.53       Yes      Aerobic
(10-minute miles)

AGES & STAGES

Exercise: the key to living well with chronic conditions. (Ages & Stages)

Artist Marilyn Bauman, 62, has been physically active since she turned 40, when a neighbor introduced her to running. But last year, after struggling with weight lifting at her gym, and after a diagnosis of osteoporosis, she hired a certified personal trainer she found through her health club.