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If your resting heart rate is at one end of the scale and your maximum heart rate is at the other, your target heart rate (THR) occupies a range between them.

When you exert yourself physically, your heart beats faster than when you are at rest. Exercise causes a temporary increase in your heart rate, and that is a good thing. In fact, it is one of the goals of physical activity. When you exercise, you should aim for the THR range appropriate for your age.

Aerobic exercise is considered the ideal way to achieve cardiovascular fitness.

In general, effective aerobic activity consists of 20 to 30 minutes of exertion at an intensity that raises the heartbeat to 60 to 80 percent of the maximum heart rate (MHR).

So the target heart rate for aerobic conditioning is between 60 and 80 percent of your MHR. The American Heart Association recommends a slightly lower target range for optimal fitness of 50 to 75 percent.

For example, say you are 35 years old. Your MHR is 185(220-35). Sixty percent of that is 111; 80 percent is 148. An aerobic workout for you would involve getting your heart rate to between 111 and 148 beats per minute, and keeping it there for 20 to 30 minutes. Using the American Heart Association recommendation, you would aim to keep your heart rate between 95 and 139 beats per minute.

Another gauge of fitness is how long it takes or how hard you have to work to get to your target heart rate. It may seem, backward, but the fact is a sedentary person who is relatively unfit will get to the target rate sooner and stay there longer than a fit person engaging in the same activity. Think of it this way: You and your friend, the superjock, are out for a run. After a quarter mile, whose heart is pounding to beat the band? And which one of you has to rest for 15 minutes before you can make it up the front steps?

It’s very good to get your heart beating fast periodically, but you wouldn’t want it racing all the time.

The faster your heart returns from the neighborhood of its MHR to its RHR, the fitter you are.

If all this pulse taking and mathematics seem too complicated for you, here’s a simpler way to monitor the intensity of your workout:

Can you walk and talk? If you can keep up a conversation while walking or engaging in another physical activity, you are not working too hard.

Oh, say can you sing? If you can sing without slackening your level of effort, you are not working hard enough.

Breathless? If all you can do is gasp for breath, you are exercising too intensely.

If you haven’t exercised in a long time, or at all, don’t aim for your highest target heart rate.

As with any physical activity, you should start slowly and work your way up to your peak. Begin at the lower end of your target zone and maintain that level for a week or more. Then gradually work your way up, building the intensity of your activities until you reach the upper limit. If you want to challenge yourself further, you can try to push the limit, but never exceed 85 percent of your MHR.

If you are extremely overweight, over 60 years of age, take blood pressure medication, or suffer from a chronic disease or disabling condition, don’t engage in any new physical activity without checking with your doctor.

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