Gaging Effort

How Hard Should I Be Working?

There is no independent standard when it comes to gaging effort when exercising. People have a very broad range of tolerances for pain and discomfort. It depends on how one feels. Feelings are subjective. They are based on the way a thing is experienced or perceived in one’s own mind.

In the case of balance training, it is even more important to pay attention to stress levels when gaging effort because stress is a major risk factor linked to the likelihood of falling. Therefore, rather than trying to define precise guidelines for determining safe levels of exertion,  a simple set of criteria have been formulated to help a person determine appropriate levels of exertion.

Determining Appropriate Levels of Effort:

• The Talk Test:
  • Exertion too Demanding – unable to talk and exercise simultaneously
  • Vigorous Exertion – talking is breathy and choppy
  • Moderate Exertion – talking is breathy but smooth
  • Low Exertion – Able to sing
• Perspiration
  • Perspiration is unreliable as a gage of level of exertion because of broad variations in metabolic responses to work load and level of physical fitness among individuals.

Conditions that warrant extra attention:

• Anything that alters sensory perception such as medications or neuropathy.
• Cardiac rehabilitation
• Chronic pain
• Joint replacement
• Illness
• Fatigue
• Metabolic imbalance
• Inflammation

Factors that effect judgment:

• Pain
• Drugs
• Peer pressure
• Competition
• Dehydration
• Urgency
• Fear
• Interest level
• Engagement
• Distraction
• Authority
• Mood
• Motivation