A moderate to vigorous exercise level can increase your cardiovascular endurance and increase your physical fitness. Your exercise capacity can be measured through your exercising heart rate. The following formula can help you know whether your exercise intensity is enough to effectively increase your cardiovascular endurance or not.

1. First, calculate your maximum heart rate/ minute, which is 220 - (age) = _________beats per minute
2. Your desirable heart rate after exercise should be in the range of 60 to 70% of your maximum heart rate.
   
   For example: if you are 15 years old, your maximum heart rate is (220 - 15) = 205 · Your desirable heart rate is in between (205 x 60%) to (205 x 70%), or 123 to 144 beats/minute.
3. Try to catch your pulse immediately, within 1-2 seconds after stopping exercise. Measure it 10 seconds, then, multiply by 6, and it is your current heart rate.

Your age ________________ years Your heart rate after exercise _________________ beats/min Your maximum desirable heart rate after exercise / minute ________ times to _______ times After exercise, is your heart rate within the desirable range?

• If your heart rate is within the desirable range, that means your exercise intensity can effectively increase your cardiovascular endurance
• If your heart rate is below the desirable range, that means you need to increase it by increasing the intensity of your exercise!
• If your heart rate is above the desirable range that means your exercise intensity is too strong for you. You need to decrease your exercise intensity to lower your heart rate to the desirable range.

The more active you are, the fitter you'll become!