Heart Rate

Spring pulls some crazy stunts on us. One day it's balmy enough to jog around in shorts, and the next it's so chilly that you take refuge indoors. But don't let temperature swings keep you from a regular aerobic workout. If you want to defy nature's spring antics, try bicycling - indoors or out. But bicycling isn't as simple as it was when you were young. To reap its aerobic and strengthening benefits and to avoid injury, keep in mind these tips: GET A CHECKUP. Before starting a bicycling program, visit your doctor for a routine physical exam, especially if you have been sedentary for a while or have a personal or family history of heart disease.

Go ahead, pinch the skin on your waist and back of your upper arm. If you can pinch an inch, chances are you have too much body fat. So, are you ready to pump yourself up? If you are, here are a few things to remember: Use a routine you can stay with. At first, you might try walking a half- hour every other day. Once you prove you can stick with your routine, you can add more vigorous exercise. Don't overdo it. Though you will be sore the first few days after working out, you should not feel pain during a workout.

Kent Bostick is an Olympian and a two-time Pan American Games gold medalist who has set eight national records in the course of winning 12 national titles during a cycling career that has been nothing short of remarkable. But when Bostick takes to the streets of Philadelphia on Sunday to ride the 156-mile First Union U.S. Pro Championship race, he should be applauded loudest for proving that age is only a number. In Bostick's case, the number is 48. That's an age most people would call "ancient" in a sport that has the aerobic demands of bike racing, and maybe even "decrepit," especially against a lineup heavy with cyclists who have been around half as long as Bostick has. In either case, it rivals the best of George Blanda that, 28 years after Bostick climbed into the saddle for his first cycling race, the Chester, N.J., native not only will compete again Sunday but also will continue his gear-jamming comeback from a fractured femur he sustained a year ago. Bostick credits his competitive longevity to several factors, including the past sponsorship of Shakelee's, the vitamin supplement company whose products he lauds.

Q: Five years ago I was diagnosed with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. I took medication for two years and recently chose to stop it. Now, about every two months, I have an episode where my heart rate will suddenly double before returning to its regular rate. My doctor says not to worry. Is he right? A: My answer depends on your age and the symptoms you experience when your heart rate increases. Paroxysmal SVT is a rapid pulse due to disruption of the normal cardiac pacemaker, usually caused by arteriosclerosis.

Next time, bring a glove As any reader of MLB.com knows by now, a guy named Bo is the sorriest dude in Houston right about now. Bo was at the Astros-Braves game on Monday night with his girlfriend Sarah. A foul ball screamed into their section and headed straight for Bo. Sensibly enough, he ducked. Sarah, perhaps not as wise to the ways of spectating, sat still. And got creamed. I wonder how jolly the ride home was. Silva has heart procedure On a more somber note, Cubs righthander Carlos Silva underwent a cardiac ablation at Northwestern Memorial Hospital on Monday to correct a problem with his heart rate.

With all of the pressure on athletes to run faster and jump higher, some have resorted to taking ergogenic aids or drugs - that is, something that enhances their athletic performance - in order to improve their natural talents. Steroids, blood-boosting and amphetamines are all ergogenic aids that some athletes use (unethically and illegally) to gain an edge on the competition. Even though such aids may boost a performance, all can be harmful to the user. Ironically, some athletes also use non-ergogenic drugs - drugs that do not enhance athletic performance - mistakenly thinking that they have found a substance to improve their game.

Running seems like a simple sport: Throw on some sneakers, a T-shirt, and shorts, and go. But if you're a runner or have a runner on your holiday shopping list, you know it can be a lot more complicated than that. So I asked local running stores what's been flying out of their doors since Black Friday to give you ideas if you have an athlete on your shopping list. Let's start with a big one: a GPS running watch. Not only does this act as a stopwatch, but it will also let you know instantly how far you've run, how fast you're going, and, depending on how many bells and whistles you require (and bucks you want to spend)

Former Mayor W. Wilson Goode was listed in satisfactory condition yesterday following what doctors classified as a simple case of an "irregular heartbeat. " "At this point, his heart rate is normal and he is resting in stable condition," said Dr. Harold Mignott, a faculty member at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. During a news briefing yesterday at the hospital's Ravden Institute, Mignott, a physician in HUP's general internal medicine division, said a combination of heat and strenuous activities may have caused Goode to suffer from an atria arrhythmia, a condition that causes the top of the heart to beat rapidly.

A shopping mall should be gauged the same way as an aerobic workout: by measuring the target heart rate. A shopper reaches the optimum cardiac level upon discovery of a fabulous store, passing a particularly alluring window display or spotting a wicked sale. At the universe's best mall - shoppers' heaven - the target rate is maintained throughout the entire experience, and the shopper never veers into tachycardia danger zone. At the mall in hell, which has only a Scotch Tape Nook and a Hickory Farms, the shopper has to be administered cardio pulmonary resuscitation.

As the old saying goes, if you knew you were going to live so long, you would have taken better care of yourself. There is no doubt that we are living longer. In fact, health experts say that in 30 years, more than 50 million Americans will be 65 years old or older. But reaching that milestone doesn't mean a whole lot if you feel lousy once you get there. You know what happens to a car that is left unused for a few months: When you try to start it up, it coughs and wheezes.