up on workouts is a highly efficient and effective way to maintain or boost fitness levels. "For the runner trying to improve their fitness, the essence is that you are running fast - anything that gets the heart rate up around 80 per cent of maximum

maximum heart rate (with slower music working better during recovery periods). Though Karageorghis has studied the impact of literally thousands of songs, he lists four that, because of the up-tempo arrangement, feisty lyrics and speedy BPM, induce

's stroke volume or your ability to extract oxygen from blood that changes with age, says Sandra Hunter, an exercise scientist at Marquette University in the USA. "It's that your maximum heart rate declines, and no one can change that. It just plummets

."Walking is underrated," he says. "It can be demanding: an 81kg person will burn around 100 calories per mile. If you find it hard to run below 65 per cent of your maximum heart rate, now is your chance to exercise at a lower heart rate, which will improve your fat

at the end. You need to get up to race pace earlier on and stay there. The key thing is to get your warm-up strategy right and include some faster 200m sections where you take longer strides to drive your heart rate higher. Practise your warm-up routine

per cent of maximum heart rate." - Rick Kiddle "Training can be a bit of a chore, so my favourite method is to do lots of duathlons, bike races or run races. Don't pressure yourself. It doesn't matter if you're tired or if you feel unfit: just pitch up

of anyone’s diet.Over the past decade, researchers have discovered that people who eat fish and other seafood a few times per week have a lower risk of sudden heart attack, vascular disease and stroke. Fish intake has also been linked to lower rates

. The studies show it clearly. But the evidence doesn’t stop there. A recent study performed in Quebec showed that an aerobic exercise programme that included occasional 90-second bursts at 95 per cent of maximum heart rate burned three and a half times more

great runner," says Anderson. Using a heart monitor is a good way to prevent yourself from training too hard on your easy days. "Keep your heart rate below 75 per cent of your maximum heart rate– or 70 per cent of your heart rate reserve – and let your

says.Dr Jaques advises women to keep their heart rate at or below 140 beats per minute (bpm) while exercising. Experiments on pregnant dogs suggest that running at an intensity greater than 70 per cent VO2max (the point of maximum oxygen capacity