You're sweating through another aerobic workout, and you're wondering whether you're overdoing it or not working hard enough. Pacing yourself is extremely important to maximizing the benefits of exercise. What's the right pace for you?

One way of finding the right pace is to monitor how fast your heart is pumping during your workout. According to the American Heart Association, the safest and most effective pace of exercise is one that keeps your heart pumping at a speed between 50% and 75% of your maximum heart rate. Fill in the information below and we'll calculate the range of target heart rates that may be best for you during exercise.

Important Note: This tool is not applicable to children. The maximum heart rate in healthy children is about 200 beats per minute. According to the American Heart Association, there is no need to arbitrarily restrict healthy children to lower heart rates.