A question about heart rate and exercise…

Factual Questions
1

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m into a renewed effort to get more physically fit. The CDC recommends that everyone get a minimum of a certain amount of time vigorously exercising per week, with “vigorous” defined as a heart rate threshold based on age. That made me wonder something.

Suppose you’re working out on the treadmill in your living room while watching your favorite team in the playoffs. Their opponent is their most bitter and hated rival, and it’s win or go home. Your team is slightly behind, but they’re trying to drive to score, but time is running out!

Of course, your heart rate is going up even more than usual because of the suspense of the game. But you’re still exercising.

Now, suppose that if you’d been doing anything but watching the game, your heart rate on the treadmill would have been below “vigorous” level. But the game has more than pushed you over that key number. Are you getting exercise that the medical community would consider “vigorous” or not?

I figure not, because otherwise, you could consider yourself to fulfill the exercise requirements just by watching suspense movies on a couch, and that seems absurd. But I’m not sure, and I’m curious now.

Thanks in advance!

2

Here’s a related column from the Master.

3

The basic real world answer is that the emotionally associated heart increase will not be sustained enough to be of any meaning. It is possible of course though that you will exercise harder as a result of your excitement.

There is also of course no real meaningful line between moderate and vigorous, just an arbitrary one.

Lastly Cecil was correct in explaining that heart rate is a convenient but imperfect yet good enough marker for oxygen consumption. To the degree that it is elevated other than in response to greater oxygen consumption it is not a measure of exercise intensity