Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM MARCH 2 - 8, 2022 UCW 17 ere are two tests that fitness pro- fessionals often use to check the state of exertion in a group class setting or when personal training. e two tests are the Talk Test and the Borg Rating RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion). Both tests are easy to learn and help- ful when determining your level of exercise intensity. Have you ever heard a fitness instructor or personal trainer ask how you are doing? If you have heard that question, the trainer or instruc- tor is looking for an audible response showing your exercise level. e basis of this measure is that the harder you work, the more breathless you be- come. e technical term is Ventilato- ry reshold or (VT1). If you are exer- cising at a light-to-moderate intensity and can talk comfortably, you are below VT1 intensity. As you increase exercise, your breathing frequency rises, your blood lactate accumulates faster and talking becomes increas- ingly limited. Test results range from VT1, moderate intensity, to VT2, the highest exercise intensity. e average person exercising is not looking for VT2 sustainability and can recognize when they have reached their maximum output and decrease their intensity. Being aware of how you are breathing is a good sign. An example would be walking or jogging while talking with a friend. Your con- versation flows at a comfortable pace. Your terrain begins to change slightly, and now you are approaching a small hill or incline. Talking becomes a little more challenging, but you are not taxed to complete sentences. e slope you are on has become a tough hill or picked up your pace. Your small talk at this point becomes more difficult, and your conversation is becoming limited to a few, one or no words. If you are working out by yourself and you know you can sing along with the song you are listening to, you are at a moderate or lower pace. at song gets harder to sing as you prog- ress, and your level intensifies. You are at your max when you can only listen and cannot sing along. It does not take the direction of an exercise professional to know when you are reaching your maximum. Another scale for monitoring a level of exercise intensity is the Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE). e scale level rates from 0 to 10, with 0 at nothing and 10 at intense exertion. A person exercising at a level 3 or 4 would be considered a moderate- intensity rate. A seven on the scale would be just above your VT1 and considered strong. It is a subjective way to quantify your overall feelings and sensations while exercising. As you exercise, you may begin to sweat or feel a difference in your breathing, and as intensity increases, you may start to experience fatigue. A doctor may recommend that you use the RPE versus your heart rate be- cause certain medications can cause functional and structural changes in the cardiorespiratory system and could affect a person's maximum heart rate. Being aware of how your body reacts to exercise is essential to know what feels good and what does not and can help avoid injuries. As you become familiar with both scales, it will help you assess your intensity levels. Knowing when to increase and decrease your level of intensity will be a valuable tool in improving your overall fitness. Live, love life with health and movement. FITNESS CYNTHIA ROSS, Personal Trainer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910- 484-6200. DAN DEBRULER, General Manager, WCLN. Comments? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910-484-6200. Talk test measures exertion by CYNTHIA ROSS ere are only a handful of contacts on my phone I've added photos to. And when Jeff 's picture popped up on a recent Saturday evening, I was excited to get the call. We became quick friends after meeting nearly 20 years ago and have shared meals, prayers and conversa- tions through some of the highest and lowest points of life during that time. I have several friends who attend the church Jeff pastors just outside town, about 30-miles from my home on the other side of town, and though he's a good teacher and leader, the drive has always been enough to keep me in a church a little closer to home. I can honestly say I don't remem- ber why Jeff called that night. Like any good friend, the conversations typically go down several roads, and we're more likely to stop when one of us reaches home, work or the check- out line than arrive at the end of the conversation. One thing we share is a particular affection for contempo- rary Christian music. Not just what's out today; we often cite bands, songs and artists who found a place in the collective heart of Christian culture across several decades. On this recent Saturday night, when Jeff called, I had just finished listening to a YouTube recording of an album that took me back to a time shortly af- ter I began my journey with Christ. It was a live album from the group My- lon LeFevre & Broken Heart – a 'too- many-guitars-to-count' Christian rock band from the 1980s. At the time, the music drew me in; as a new Christian, rock music spoke to me from a place I understood. But there was something else about the live recording. Some- where near the end of the concert, the band fell into this simple groove, and Mylon began to speak. In his slow, southern drawl, he talked about the importance of opening and reading the Bible. He continued talking about his relationship with God – a God with whom he had frequent conversations. I may not have realized it at the time, but this would become instrumental in my walk of faith. I had listened to that album – and Mylon's message – so many times back then that the thought of knowing and becoming so familiar with God by reading His word, praying and listening became a foundation in my life. As I unfolded that memory for Pas- tor Jeff in our phone call, I said, "… that's why it's so important to tell our story. ere's always someone listen- ing that understands the language." Not missing a beat, Jeff told me he was getting the men in his church to be more engaged with one another and invited me to speak at an upcoming breakfast. When the morning came, I left early enough that the sun was in my eyes nearly the whole way. I grew agitated as I squinted to see traffic lights and lane markings, but then, as I turned north and the sun was off to the side, there was a line from a song stuck in my head from church a few days earlier: "Your mercies are new … as surely as the morning comes." My agi- tation quickly faded into thankfulness in that moment. God's goodness and faithfulness have carried me through good and bad times, and it's still that familiarity I learned when Mylon shared his story in a language I un- derstood, which led me to and keeps me in a place of trusting God through all of it. e transformation continues daily. is is the story I'll tell. Importance of telling our story by DAN DEBRULER FAITH Photo courtesy of Pexels Photo courtesy of Pexels