Did you know?

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each week women who are 65 years or older, are generally fit and have no limiting health conditions should combine at least two days of muscle-strengthening exercises with at least two hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity.

Women capable of more strenuous cardiovascular activity can substitute one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity with their two and a half hours per week of more moderate-

intensity exercise.

The CDC notes that distinguishing between moderate-intensity exercise and vigorous-intensity exercise is pretty simple. Women can use a 10-point scale in which sitting is zero and working as hard as is physically possible is 10.

Moderate-intensity aerobic activity will make women breathe harder and elevate their heart rates, but should not make them feel completely drained at the end of a workout. These activities will register as a five or six on the 10-point scale.

Vigorous-intensity aerobic activity includes those exercises that women would deem a seven or eight on the 10-point scale. Such activities should elevate the heart rate considerably and get women breathing hard enough that they will be unable to say more than a few words without pausing to catch their breath.

No two women are the same and age must be considered when developing a healthy exercise regimen, but brisk walking may qualify as moderate-intensity aerobic activity while jogging or running would be considered a vigorous-intensity activity.