Sports and Exercise Medicine Physician, Dr Prince Pambo, has advised Ghanaians to treat exercise like prescribed medicine by paying close attention to heart rate limits and listening to their bodies to avoid health risks during physical activity.

Speaking on JoyFM’s Super Morning Show on Thursday, January 29, Dr Pambo explained that heart rate is a key indicator of whether a person is exercising within an age-appropriate and safe range.

“We use the heart rate during exercises or during any physical activity to determine whether you are exercising within what is age-appropriate. We call exercise medicine,” he said.

According to him, exercise, like any medication, must come with the right dosage. He outlined a simple method for calculating a safe maximum heart rate, noting that individuals should subtract their age from 220.

“So if you are 40 years old, you subtract 40 from 220, which brings you to 180,” he explained. He added that exercising at about 70 per cent of that figure is generally considered a safe upper limit.

Dr Pambo noted that wearable technology such as smartwatches has made it easier for people to track their heart rates in real time. He shared a personal experience to illustrate the point, saying his smartwatch once alerted him that he had exceeded his recommended heart rate and needed to slow down.

However, he stressed that even without smart devices, people can still exercise safely by understanding their goals and paying attention to how their bodies respond. “First of all, you need to know what targets you want to reach. Are you going for cardiovascular fitness or fat burning?” he said, adding that expert guidance is important, especially for beginners.

He cautioned against comparing fitness levels solely based on age, noting that individuals respond differently to exercise. “Not all 40 years are 40 years. Not all 28 are 28,” he said, explaining that underlying medical conditions and family health history also play a significant role.

Dr Pambo warned that exercise should not push individuals to extreme exhaustion, particularly for those not training competitively.

“Exercise should not get you to the point where you can’t even catch your breath anymore and you begin to pant,” he noted.

He also advised people to stop and reassess their routine if they experience persistent pain or swelling, especially in the knees. “You don’t need to push beyond that. You need to give your body that attention,” he said.

The physician urged both athletes and the general public to undergo basic medical checks, including blood pressure, blood sugar tests and an ECG (Electrocardiogram), before starting intense exercise programmes, to ensure safe and effective workouts.