Hi Maggie,
Josie states we often make that mistake on May 7, in her "did you know it" forum, building on Dr Farvoldan's May "expert" monthly column cautioning us not to get into the panic cycle.
My physician gave me a range, with an upper limit, which she taught me to measure for my reasurrance, which would be okay on average. After that average, a person with a heart issue(like the one in Dr F's column) needs further medical intervention for a physical intervention, or it's just our perception and we have to use the tools of CBT(progressive relaxation,etc).
You can also get something that gives you what you want in physical stimulation, without the extra heart rate, although most want cardio. An exercise physiologist might suggest yoga, pilates...these are attractive...but I need cardio. Being overweight(BMI over 30) puts a load so great on knees, that you are 8 times more likely to get osteoarthritus, warned my physiotherapist, so I'll skill the yoga, pilates for a mix of bikes in the gym and ellipticals,treadmills
