For your easy reference:

Exercising in your target heart rate range will give you the most benefit with the least amount of risk. For most healthy individuals, this range is 50% - 85% of your maximal heart rate.

Maximal Heart Rate (MHR) is a prediction of the maximum number of times the heart can beat in one minute. Your maximal heart rate is found by subtracting your age from 220. This would be 100%, or maximal capacity. You would never want to work out so hard that you were nearing maximal capacity.

50 - 85% is a safe and effective range for you to be exercising within according to the American College of Sports Medicine.

In this range, you should feel a challenged or winded during exercise, enough so that you could not comfortably conduct a conversation. However, if you are gasping for air to complete a sentence, you are working too hard.

Beginners will work in the lower part of the range, intermediate participants in the middle part of the range an advanced exercisers can push the upper limits of the range.

~ Thanks to Kellie at the Provida Support Community, who posted this information from ediets.com (that has a THR calculator on its site).

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