Many of us overestimate our exercise levels – here's how to calculate how much you really do

The World Health Organization recommends 150 to 300 minutes of moderate to heavy exercise per week, which many of us are not doing as we overestimate our activity levels.

A vigorous exercise, where our heart rate reserve is more than 60 percent cannot be the same for every person, as one first needs to calculate their resting heart rate as well as the estimated maximum heart rate.

• A healthy resting heart rate is usually in the range of 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm) for an average adult.a
• The estimated maximum heart rate can be calculated by subtracting your age from the number 220. So if you are 4o years old right now, your maximum heart rate would be 180.
• Once the two figures are calculated, one can derive the bpm that one needs to maintain while exercising at moderate intensity. This can be done by subtracting the resting heart rate from the maximum heart rate, and then adding the desired heart rate reserve to your resting heart rate. This figure is usually above 40 percent of one’s heart rate reserve.