Health Tip: Know Your Heart's Limits

(HealthDayNews) -- Make monitoring your heart rate an integral part of your workout routine. It''s a safer, more effective way to exercise, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.

Here''s how to calculate your heart rate range:

• Estimate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220.
• Determine your lower-limit exercise heart rate: multiply your maximum heart rate by 0.6.
• Calculate your upper-limit exercise heart rate: multiply your maximum heart rate by 0.9.

For most people, working out at the lower end of the heart rate range for a longer time is better than exercising at the higher end for a shorter period.

-- Felicity Stone