What does Rate of Perceived Exertion mean?
Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) is a scale that gauges how hard you feel your body is working during physical activity. RPE is different for each person and is based on physical sensations resulting from an increase in heart rate, breathing rate, perspiration, and muscle fatigue. The RPE scale goes from one to 10. A rating of two to three is light activity, four to six is moderate activity and seven to 10 is vigorous activity. Light activities may include gentle stretching, slow walking, and tai chi. Any activity that makes you feel warm, work-up a bit of a sweat, and increases your heart and breathing rates would be moderate activity. You should be able to talk during moderate activity but not sing. Vigorous activity, an RPE of seven to 10 is more challenging. If you feel like you are working at level 10, chances are you won’t be able to keep it up for very long! To achieve physical and psychological health benefits, aim to participate in moderate physical activity, an RPE of four to
