As you continue to make important lifestyle changes like eating whole foods and focusing on Zone 2 fitness, you will see an improvement in your Heart-Fit Score.
Remember, it isn’t your initial measurement that is important, but that you are seeing your number increase over time.
Moving more is a great way to improve your Heart-Fit Score, but total activity isn’t the only consideration. Specific types of exercise are more effective for improving your Heart-Fit Score than others.
- ZONE 2 TRAINING – Zone 2 training increases your number of mitochondria and helps them function better. It also increases the blood supply to your muscles—all of which help to increase your VO2 Max or Heart-Fit Score.
- ZONE 5/INTERVAL TRAINING – Research has shown interval training to be somewhat better at improving VO2 Max compared to Zone 2 training. Of course, interval training is hard! Make sure you’re in good shape and that you check with your doctor before you try it. We’ll be talking about Zone 5 later in the program.
- STRENGTH TRAINING – Lifting things builds muscle and can also help to increase your Heart-Fit Score, especially if you keep your heart rate up. We will talk more about strength training later in the program.
ONLY ONE PIECE OF THE PUZZLE
Despite its clear importance in physical health and healthspan, your Heart-Fit Score isn’t the only physical fitness metric that you should be concerned about.
In our next lesson, Focus on Fitness, we will tackle the other important pieces to exercise and a healthy lifestyle.
See you soon!
Your PowerME™ Team
