For an activity to qualify as Heavy, I think you have to be doing more
than waving hand fans or frantically ripping off your clothes, even if
you are sweating profusely and unable to speak. <G> I still get those
pesky things, especially at night. It's the reason I'm up reading this
newsgroup at 4:30 a.m.

I found an elaborate explanation of activity intensity at this Web
site: http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/2452.html. I've copied it for
you, Lee, so you can read it. But the html presentation is much easier
to read on the actual Web site.
====(beginning of article)
Dear Alice,

I've seen a gazillion articles lately about exercising for "30 minutes
at moderate intensity," but they always describe moderate intensity as
walking at 4 miles an hour. I can't walk at 4 miles an hour because of
mechanics; my legs seem to be just the length to have to switch from
walking to jogging at about 4 miles an hour, so I can't do the walk to
be able to figure out what "moderate intensity" feels like. Can you
give any other measure for what is "moderate" and what is "intense" --
percentage of maximum heart rate or METS or anything like that?

Confused

Dear Confused,

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) defines exercise
intensity by percentage of maximum heart rate, rate of perceived
exertion, and METS (metabolic equivalents) in their Position Stand,
Recommended Quantity and Quality of Exercise for Development and
Maintenance of Cardiorespiratory and Muscular Fitness and Flexibility
in Healthy Adults. Moderate activity has been defined as 55 - 69
percent of maximum heart rate (MHR). ACSM defines "hard" exercise at
70 - 89 percent MHR, and "very hard" at 90 percent and above, with 100
percent being maximal exertion.

To calculate MHR, subtract one's age from 220. To determine the lower
end of moderate intensity, multiply MHR by 55 percent or 0.55;
multiply MHR by 69 percent or 0.69 to determine the higher end of the
moderate intensity range. These numbers represent heartbeats per
minute during moderate activity. As an example, for a thirty-year-old
person, the moderate intensity numbers would be:

   220 - 30 = 190 (Maximum heart rate)
   190 x 0.55 = 105 beats per minute (low end of moderate intensity)
   190 x 0.69 = 131 beats per minute (high end of moderate intensity)

You can also use the "Rate of Perceived Exertion" (RPE), a subjective
rating that a person can use to rate his or her exercise intensity. If
someone doesn't have any other way to rate workout intensity (i.e.,
has no watch to use to count heartbeats, or doesn't know how fast s/he
is walking or running), RPE is a low-tech method of determining this
calculation. For example, a person can consider walking at a leisurely
pace a 6, and perhaps a mad dash to catch a bus or a flyaway $100 bill
a 19; so, rating activity in-between is a way to rate one's exercise
intensity. The ACSM Position Stand uses the original scale from 6 - 19
to identify the perceived level of difficulty of physical activity, as
follows:

   6 - 8:     Very, very light
   9 - 10:     Very light
   11 - 12:      Fairly light
   13 - 14:     Somewhat hard
   15 - 16:     Hard
   17 - 18:     Very hard
   19:     Very, very hard

Moderate intensity, using this scale of a person's self- perception of
his or her own exercise difficulty, is 12 - 13, hard exercise is 14 -
16, and very hard activity is at 17-19.

The last measure — METS — has nothing to do with baseball players from
Shea Stadium; instead, it refers to metabolic equivalents. One MET is
equivalent to your resting metabolic rate; 2 METS is any activity that
requires two times your metabolic rate, etc. This measure is
determined by the amount of oxygen consumed, which indicates the level
of intensity a person is working. At 1 MET, an average man would be
consuming 250 milliliters (ml) of oxygen per minute; an average woman
would be consuming 200 ml of oxygen per minute. For those of you who
wish to be even more exact, one MET is equal to 3.5 ml of oxygen per
kilogram (kg) of body weight per minute (1 kg = 2.2 pounds). Since we
are not going around measuring how much oxygen a person's body is
consuming, assigning a MET equivalent can give us an idea as to how
intense an activity is. At 1 MET (resting metabolic rate), a 55 kg
female would use about 60 calories per hour, and a 65 kg male would
use about 70 calories per hour. Two METS would be double that
intensity, or consuming twice the amount of oxygen than at 1 MET. In
other words, 2 METS means that one is working at twice his or her
resting metabolic rate (which is relatively easy or achievable), 3
METS is 3 times someone's resting metabolic rate, and so on.

The ACSM rates moderate intensity using METS as decreasing with age.
For men, moderate intensity by age is:

   AGE (years)     # METS (moderate)     #METS (hard)     # METS
(very hard)
   20-39     4.8 - 7.1     7.2 - 10.1     >10.2
   40-64     4.0 - 5.9     6.0 - 8.4     >8.5
   65-70     3.2 - 4.7     4.8 - 6.7     >6.8
   80 and over     2.0 - 2.9     3.0 - 4.25     >4.25

For women, mean values are 1 - 2 METS lower than for men.

Some examples of how METS are associated with activity are as follows:

   METS        Activity
   1     resting quietly, watching TV, reading
   1.5     eating, writing, desk work, driving, showering
   2     light moving, strolling, light housework
   3     level walking (2.5 mph), cycling (5.5 mph), bowling, golfing
using a cart, heavy housework
   4     walking (3 mph), cycling (8 mph), raking leaves, doubles
tennis
   5     walking (4 mph), cycling (10 mph), ice or roller skating,
digging in the garden
   6     walking (5 mph), cycling (11 mph), singles tennis, splitting
wood, shoveling snow
   7     jogging (5 mph), cycling (12 mph), basketball
   8     running (5.5 mph), cycling (13 mph), vigorous basketball
   9     competitive handball or racquetball
   10     running (6 mph)

   The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) standards for
moderate activity are more succinct, defining moderate intensity as an
activity allowing for sustained, rhythmic movements that are carried
out at:

       * an RPE of 11 - 14, or
       * 3 - 6 METS, or
       * 3.5 - 7.0 calories expended per minute (The number of
calories per minute depends on a person's estimated body weight,
fitness level, and intensity. Many charts are on the Internet that
calculate energy expenditure for various activities, including at
http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/jumpsite/calculat.htm. An
abundance of software, as well as exercise books, are also available
for people who want to track this measure.)

   Examples of such activity as defined by the CDC include mowing the
lawn, dancing, swimming, or biking on a level surface.

   Hope these explanations motivate you into moderate activity, so
you can reap all its benefits.
====(end of article)

Only if you furiously fan yourself!!!! (G)

Someone once told me that if you cannot string the words..."Dear God,
help me!!" together without gasping for air then you are exercising
*too hard* and need to take it down.