The fitness is industry produces a lot of tools that stock aisle after aisle in the local and fitness stores. You can even buy yoga mats at the bookstore now. So what tools are good for what? Well, if you are exercising in order to increase weight-loss, then a heart-rate monitor is a great tool to have.
With it, you can tell if you are burning fat, getting more aerobically fit and whether or not you are exercising too hard or too little. As you increase the intensity of your workout, your body will need more fuel and your heart is going to pump faster to get more oxygen into your bloodstream. Your heart rate monitor lets you know when you’ve achieved a certain threshold in order to know whether you are working hard enough or not.
If you’re heart rate is too low, you’re body is not going to be gaining much from the exercise. If it’s too high, you could be inflicting damage on yourself. The monitor helps you achieve and maintain your exercise level in the target heart rate zone.
So how do you know what your target heart rate is?
The target heart zone is determined by subtracting age from 220 to find the maximum heart rate. Multiply this number by 0 .60 and 0.75 to determine the target heart zone. As your system become more efficient, higher levels of activity will be required to reach the target heart zone.
When you are just starting out, you work your endurance up from the lower end of your target heart rate zone to the upper end. The average person’s resting heart rate is around 60 to 80 beats per minute. Olympic athletes are in such peak physical condition that their resting heart rate is close to 30 beats per minute.
Your heart rate monitor is a great fitness tool. You can use it during weight training, circuit training as well as during cardio workouts. Many heart rate monitors are also waterproof, which allows you to use them during swimming exercises. The heart rate monitor is more than just a tool to let you know how you are doing, it’s a way to inspire yourself to work harder, reach further and do more.
Heart rate monitors cost as little as $50 and you can pick them up at most locations that carry fitness equipment. They can come in watch format without a need for a chest strap (which while effective can be uncomfortable). You don’t need to invest in the very expensive monitors that provide you everything from GPS location to barometers. Monitoring your heart rate will help you achieve your best fitness. So if you’re asking yourself whether a heart rate monitor is worth it? The answer to that is YES.