The American Heart Association (AHA) provides clear recommendations that have become an easy-to-follow standard for fitness. Zolt makes tracking these guidelines easy, especially alongside its Activity Score.
Understanding the AHA Exercise Recommendations
The American Heart Association’s exercise recommendations are designed to promote heart health and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. For adults, the AHA recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity (or a combination of both), preferably spread throughout the week.
In addition to aerobic activity, the AHA recommends strength training at least twice per week. Strengthening your muscles gives you the ability to perform everyday activities, helps protect your body from injury, and can boost your metabolic rate.
These guidelines aren’t arbitrary. They’re backed by extensive research showing their effectiveness in reducing health risks.
Why Following AHA Guidelines Matters
Adhering to the AHA exercise recommendations provides numerous health benefits:
- Reduced cardiovascular disease risk: Meeting the Physical Activity Guidelines is associated with a 14% reduced risk of developing coronary heart disease compared to inactive adults.
- Better blood pressure control: Regular physical activity helps reduce blood pressure, which can reduce the risk of stroke by 6-8%.
- Diabetes prevention: Engaging in 150 to 300 minutes a week of moderate-intensity physical activity can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 25% to 35%.
- Weight management: Physical activity, combined with proper nutrition, helps maintain a healthy weight. Zolt’s dynamic TDEE algorithm can help you optimize your caloric intake based on your activity levels.
- Improved mental health: Regular exercise relieves stress, improves mood, and helps with sleep quality.
How Zolt Makes Tracking AHA Goals Simple
Easy AHA Exercise Tracking
Zolt provides a dedicated “AHA Exercise Recommendations” feature that clearly displays your progress toward meeting the American Heart Association’s guidelines. The app breaks down your activity into three essential categories:
- Moderate-intensity activity: Tracks minutes spent in moderate heart rate zones and shows progress toward the 150-minute weekly goal.
- Vigorous-intensity activity: Measures minutes in higher heart rate zones and tracks progress toward the 75-minute weekly goal.
- Strength training sessions: Counts your strength workouts and tracks progress toward the recommended two sessions per week.
How Zolt Calculates Your AHA Exercise Progress
Zolt uses sophisticated algorithms to accurately track your progress toward AHA goals:
- Heart rate monitoring: The app analyzes your heart rate data during workouts to determine whether you’re exercising at moderate or vigorous intensity levels.
- Activity classification: Zolt automatically categorizes your workouts, identifying strength training sessions separately from cardio activities.
- Time calculation: The app precisely measures time spent in each intensity zone, ensuring accurate progress tracking.
- Combined goal calculation: For those who mix moderate and vigorous activities, Zolt calculates an equivalent combined score (remembering that vigorous minutes count double toward your goals).
Living with energy means taking care of your cardiovascular health, and following the AHA exercise recommendations is a scientifically proven way to do just that. Zolt makes this easy to do.
Maintaining good sleep consistency and sleep efficiency alongside proper exercise creates a holistic approach to health that powers your life with energy.