The Sweat Scale

I'd like to take a minute to talk to you now about the rate of perceived exertion or what I call the "sweat scale". You can think of the sweat scale as having numbers from one to ten. One is very low sweat...for example sitting on the sofa, eating cheesy poofs and watching Oprah. Ten is very high sweat...for example, call the ambulance right now I think I'm having a heart attack. You'll want to monitor your place on the sweat scale while you're working out to make sure you're working at the right level.

During any stretching exercises, you'll want to be at a two or three on the sweat scale. This means your muscles are starting to feel warm but you aren't breathing very hard. You feel like you could do this for a long time.

During warm up and cool down, you should aim for a four or five on the sweat scale. This means your breathing is becoming a little more pronounced. You can easily talk but not easily sing. You feel like you could keep this up for a pretty long time.

During aerobics exercise, we're aiming for a six or a seven on the sweat scale. At this level you can speak in short phrases, but you definitely can't sing. Your breathing is faster and deeper. Your heart rate is higher and you may start to sweat.

If at any time you get above an eight on the sweat scale, you need to cool it. If you have difficulty speaking at all, if you feel like you can hardly work out another minute, then cool it. Just gently march in place and pick it up again when you're comfortable.

EXERCISE SHOULD BE FUN! If something hurts, skip it. If you get too tired, try doing part of the workout in a chair. The important thing is not where you start it's where you are going. Just make a little progress every week and before you know it...you're there!