

Answers from Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D.

Beta blockers slow your heart rate, which can prevent the increase in heart rate that typically occurs with exercise. This means that it might not be possible for you to reach your target heart rate — the number of heartbeats per minute you aim for to ensure you're exercising hard enough.



If you don't have an exercise stress test, you can use a perceived exertion scale, such as the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale, which relies on your judgment of how hard you're working based on effort, breathlessness and fatigue. Ask your doctor for help finding and using an exertion scale.

For most workouts, your best bet is to aim for physical activity that feels somewhat hard — it takes effort but you can continue. If you can't talk while you're exercising, you're probably overdoing it.

Nov. 18, 2014 See more Expert Answers