How to Not Kill Yourself During a Workout
GET A HEART RATE MONITOR!
If you’re new to exercising, you definitely need a heart rate monitor.
More specifically, one that comes with a chest strap. If you don’t use a chest strap, you’ll have to stop what you’re doing and touch part of the watch to get your heart rate. No one has time for that!
WHY DO YOU NEED A HRM?
You want to be safe and not kill yourself. Maybe I’m exaggerating; however, it’s important to pay attention to your heart rate so you know how hard your heart is working during your workout. You don’t want to stress your heart at it’s maximum pace for a long period of time. You want to keep an eye on it and train in the appropriate zones.
Here’s the formula: Max Heart Rate = (220 – your age)
For easy math, let’s say you’re 30 years young, so your maximum heart rate is 190 bpm. You’ll know when you get near that rate because it’s hard to breathe and you feel exhausted. Taking your body to that point isn’t very effective. You’re much better off to train between 145 and 160 bpm with short bursts into the 170s – Interval Training – (that’s for another post).
Secondly, a heart rate monitor will give you a reasonable assessment of how many calories you burn during the workout. Calorie burn is good to know if
- You’re a nerd and like to track numbers. (me)
- Your goal is weight loss/gain. 1lb = 3500 calories
Polar is my favorite brand. They sell several different models ranging from $60 – $260. You can get a basic model that only measures your heart rate and calorie burn, or you can get all the bells and whistles including a GPS for running enthusiasts.
I have an FT7 that I wear every time I exercise. It’s fun to compare calorie burns with friends at the gym. If you’re competitive at all, you’ll work harder to try to burn more calories than everyone else. The bad news is tall people always have an advantage!
Order yours today and let me know which one you choose!
