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WHY HEART RATE MONITORS FOR WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
If you are trying to lose or manage your weight, you probably
already know that the key to weight management is the combination of eating and exercising right. Many people fall
short when planning an exercise program because they just don't know what to do and how hard to exercise. These
sections were created to help you develop an effective exercise program.
To understand how an HRM can help you, we established the
Polar 3 Point Message:
- In order to reach your fitness goals, you need to exercise
at the right intensity.
- Heart rate is the only accurate measurement of your intensity
or your exertion level.
- A Polar HRM is the easiest and most accurate way to continuously
measure your heart rate.
It's a tool that will help pace you. If you exercise too hard, you will most likely quit before you get the real
benefit. We have all seen the person that gets on the treadmill, cranks it up to 8% grade and 8 mph, runs full
out for 2 minutes, and gets off. ALL THEY DID WAS WASTE TWO MINUTES OF THEIR TIME!
Your goal should be 30 minutes. After 20 minutes, you will start burning more calories. Your body needs time
to warm up. It's like lifting weights. The first 10 reps you do are like a warm-up, and the last 2 are the ones
that really give you the benefit. How do you get to 30 minutes? By pacing yourself.
On the other hand, there are people that exercise very leisurely
and wonder why they can't lose any weight. If you workout too slow, you don't get the exercise benefit.
If you're very new to the concept of heart rate, you might be
wondering WHAT'S AN HRM.
It consists of a watch worn on your wrist, and a transmitter that you comfortably wear against your skin and around
your chest. The transmitter picks up the signals of your heart, and sends them wirelessly to the watch you wear
on your wrist. It's that simple. No wires, no taking your pulse and doing a multiplication equation. Just look
at your wrist and it's there. AND THE KEY, IT'S DISPLAYED
CONTINUOUSLY. The continuous display is what makes it
effective. It's there guiding you during your whole workout.
Here's how it works
There are specific Target Zones (TZ) that help to guide you to the right intensity. A TZ is a high and low heart
rate range that is based on a percentage of your maximum heart rate. Using a formula based on your age, you can
figure out your maximum heart rate. You then take percentages of that to get your Target Zones.
Key Target Zones for Weight Loss
| 60-70% of max HR |
weight loss and building endurance |
| 70-80% " " " |
weight management and improving cardiovascular fitness |
| 80%+ |
interval workouts |
Example:
Elaine is 45 years old and she wants to lose weight. She exercises three days a week, sometimes for 10 minutes,
sometimes for 20 minutes and she's not sure how hard to exert herself.
*Her estimated max heart rate is 220-(age) 45=175
The recommended target zone is 60-70 %
60% of 175=105
70% of 175=123
Elaine should walk three days a week for at least 30 minutes
and keep her heart rate between 105 and 123 for effective weight loss. IT'S THAT SIMPLE!
Polar OwnFeatures™
Our M-Series products have some exclusive features that listen to your body and then help guide you to an effective
workout. The OwnZone™ feature will automatically establish your effective Target Zone for that day’s exercise during
a brief warm-up period. It’s a great alternative to the formula calculations explained above.
The OwnCal™ feature will track your calories burned more accurately
because it calculates consumption right from your body by using your heart rate. The almost all of the other calorie
functions you see on watches or equipment are based on formulas. To see this, just step off your treadmill while
it is still going and watch the calories continue to accumulate while you stand still.
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