Wellness

[VaBelle35]

Perceived heart rate and perceived calorie ingestion fall into the "self reporting" category of flawed data.

Do you know how many people think they burned 1000 calories shoveling show? And then eat a pint of ice cream to offset it? LOL

I have shoveled snow with my Polar heart rate monitor and let me tell you, it ain't a lot of calories burned. Lots of range in the heart rate but not a lot of time spent in the zone.

[Laurel013]

Heart rate monitors should be checked out to everyone at my gym...lol..in a span of over a year i have seen more overweight people only get bigger after 2 to 3 hrs of "cardio" and weight training combined. Hrs are spent on ellipticals, treadmills, classes and bodies never change...i agree with danielle...obviously they dont know what they r doing.

[Danielle46]

"Persephone" congratulations to you. I have been into healthy eating and exercise my entire life. The best purchase you can make is to buy a heart rate monitor. One of the finest manufacturers of Heart Rate monitors is Polar. I have used their heart rate monitor for 20 years and only purchased a new one 3 years ago because I wanted more features. They range in price from $50 up to $500. For someone like you, who is concerned about fitness, check out their products under "Fitness/cross training". Their website is: polar.com

This "is" their business and they have been making heart rate monitors for almost 40 years. They also stand behind their products and they are very well made. I have never had a problem with my heart rate monitors. I use my heart rate monitor whenever I exercise and that includes, weight lifting, cardio & even pilates. It does make a difference when your exercising within your ideal zone. It is the only way to truly know that your doing the right things to burn fat.

[Danielle46]

On 12/27/2014 Laurel013 said: Heart rate monitors should be checked out to everyone at my gym...lol..in a span of over a year i have seen more overweight people only get bigger after 2 to 3 hrs of "cardio" and weight training combined. Hrs are spent on ellipticals, treadmills, classes and bodies never change...i agree with danielle...obviously they dont know what they r doing.

Your absolutely correct. When you don't pay attention to being in the correct fat burning zone - your doing absolutely nothing except getting some exercise. There are so many people who spend an hour or more on cardio equipment and never change the way they look. Heart rate monitors really do work. I can't imagine working out without one.

[VaBelle35]

When I got my Polar to use for water aerobics, it really opened my eyes to how hard I thought I was working out vs not. I used to take back to back classes and just assumed the Weight Watchers method of 1 point for 20 minutes of exercise. I would burn about 300 calories in the first class, but the second class was more like 150 becuase I just didn't have the giddy up I had in the first class.

HRMs are truly useful to get a good feel for what you are doing. I no longer use it in water aerobics because after 10 years I know what's what. I still use it for Zumba and Cycle as I like to monitor the range and how long I was in the zone.

[willdob3]

On 12/27/2014 VaBelle35 said:

Perceived heart rate and perceived calorie ingestion fall into the "self reporting" category of flawed data.

Do you know how many people think they burned 1000 calories shoveling show? And then eat a pint of ice cream to offset it? LOL

I have shoveled snow with my Polar heart rate monitor and let me tell you, it ain't a lot of calories burned. Lots of range in the heart rate but not a lot of time spent in the zone.

Anyone trying to exercise to burn X number of calories needs to rethink why/how they are working out. And, probably, needs to change how they eat, too. lol...

[Danielle46]

You can do all the cardio and exercise you want but if you don't eat healthy then one is wasting their time. Its about both food and exercise.

[willdob3]

On 12/27/2014 Danielle46 said:

You can do all the cardio and exercise you want but if you don't eat healthy then one is wasting their time. Its about both food and exercise.

Yep.

It is more about diet for fat loss. Exercise is like the icing on the cake. It reshapes our bodies & makes us look good.

[sidsmom]

Congratulations on your commitment!

I started a thread about this topic (link below). Instead of not working hard enough, I was working TOO hard for many yrs...causing sleep & hormone issues. I'm now keeping it in the right zone...but I have to have my monitor on for constant feedback. As for what your HR should be? LOTS of formulas out there, but the easiest one to remember is.... 180 - Your Age . That number should be your ceiling most of the time you exercise. That builds a strong aerobic foundation. Athletes in all sports train for endurance. Rarely you should go anaerobic. I found this saying..."Unless you're being PAID, don't go anaerobic!" True.

Some of the best coaches for this are....Sally Edwards & Phil Maffetone. Both are former professional athletes...and both are authors w/ many writings. Just Google their names & many things will pop up. Here's a free PDF you might find educational in your search for HR monitoring:

Heart Zones, Sally Edwards

As for what of monitor....Polar makes the best HR monitors out there! I just recently got a Bluetooth Polar monitor....along with a Digifit App for my phone, I can monitor my HR with charts & constant feedback. Just search for Digifit in your Apple App area. Lots of colored graphs & charts to keep you focused on your HR goal.

I could write pages about HR monitoring. The "Perceived Rate of Exertion" failed me many yrs ago. It's not accurate. Get the monitor & begin measuring accurately. Good Luck!!

"You Can't Improve What You Don't Measure"

Here's some of the charts & graphs of constant feedback with the Digifit App...it works w/ Bluetooth:

Maffetone Method QVC thread

[sidsmom]

On 12/27/2014 willdob3 said:

On 12/27/2014 Danielle46 said:

You can do all the cardio and exercise you want but if you don't eat healthy then one is wasting their time. Its about both food and exercise.

Yep.

It is more about diet for fat loss. Exercise is like the icing on the cake. It reshapes our bodies & makes us look good.

Unfortunately, the OP didn't say anything about fat loss. HR monitoring is important for all health & fitness goals. Remember.....the heart is a muscle, too. It needs to be exercised.