FitSugar

3 Things to Monitor During Every Workout

Leta Shy — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 12:03:02 PST

Maintaining a workout routine can be mostly about having the motivation to get up and get out. Even so, you should also have a plan for what you should watch out for while you're sweating. To get the most of your workout, make sure that you're monitoring these stats while you exercise.

Heart rate: You should monitor your heart rate so that you are reaching your cardio goals, such as the right level of intensity in your workouts. It also helps to know what your max heart rate is so that you don't continuously overwork yourself - you should normally be working out at 60 to 90 percent of your heart rate unless you are sprinting or otherwise doing interval training. If you don't want to invest in a heart rate monitor, you'll have to do the math to find out your heart rate manually. Just make sure you're using the newer formula for determining your maximum heart rate; the old school "220 minus your age" formula isn't optimized for women. Learn how to calculate your maximum heart rate more accurately.

Read on for more stats you should be monitoring with every workout.

New Way to Calculate Your Maximum Heart Rate

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:58:01 PST

If you've always had a tough time hitting your maximum heart rate, it could be because you're using an outdated formula, or one that's geared toward the fellas: 220 - your age.

Researchers at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago created a new formula that more accurately determines a woman's maximum heart rate. Try the formula below to calculate your maximum heart rate, and you'll likely end up with a much more reasonable number.

206 - (88% of your age) = Maximum Heart Rate

If you don't have the time to trouble with the formula, we've also created a chart below to help you find out your maximum heart rate. Use this number as a gauge to see how hard you should push yourself when working out. Not sure how to check your heart rate? If you don't use a heart rate monitor, place your first two fingers on your neck or the inside of your wrist to find your pulse. Count the number of beats in 10 seconds and multiply that number by six.

Age	Maximum Heart Rate (beats per minute)
18	190.2
19	189.3
20	188.4
21	187.5
22	186.6
23	185.8
24	184.9
25	184

Don't see your age? Keep reading to find out your maximum heart rate if you're older than 25.

New Study Says Women Are Working Out Too Hard

FitSugar — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 08:00:57 PDT

At one time or another we've all experienced an "OMG I feel like I'm going to die" moment while working out. Our heart feels like it's bursting from our chest, we're sweating buckets, and our bodies feel like rubber. Well, ladies, we may have been working out too hard. A new study from Northwestern Medicine says that the formula women have been using for decades to calculate their peak heart rate is wrong, and results in a number that is too high. This standard formula is what heart rate monitors, whether portable or built into cardio equipment, base calculations on for determining different workout zones. And if you use these devices to determine the pace of your workout, you're working harder than you need to.

Using the standard heart rate formula, you subtract your age from 220 to determine your maximum heart rate. But under the new formula - based on a study of 5,437 healthy women ages 35 and older - you subtract 88 percent of your age from 206. It's a little trickier, but nothing that can't be done on a calculator. While the difference in heart rates between the formulas isn't enough to send anyone into cardiac arrest, it's still significant. Having a more accurate reflection of our peak heart rate means we can adjust our workouts, which will give us more endurance before burning out. And for those of us that gauge workouts and heart health this way, the new formula takes on even more significance.

DrSugar Answers: High Heart Rate After Running?

DrSugar — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 05:30:00 PDT

DrSugar is in the house and answering your questions.

Dear Doc,
I work out regularly, usually running, and I recently decided to monitor my heart rate. I am 22 years old and after a run my heart rate is in the 190s and sometimes over 200. I don't feel that I am overworking myself but that just seems too high. I was just wondering if this is normal or if there could be something wrong. I have a family history of hyperthyroid and wonder if this could be indicative of that.
Thanks,
Hearty Gal

Thanks for the question and I am sure you are not alone in this. To see what I have to say on the matter,

read more. When something seems wrong with your body, it’s always a good idea to discuss that problem or concern with your doctor. When talking about heart rate and exercise, there are three important factors: resting heart rate, maximum heart rate, and target heart rate. Estimating your max heart rate is an inexact science but can be estimated, in young people, with a simple formula: 220 minus your age (check out the target heart rate calculator in the FitSugar Health Guide). Your max heart rate would be 220 minus 22, which equals 198 beats per minute. Remember that this is max heart and you should be working between 60 and 90 percent of your maximum heart rate. Occasionally when sprinting and doing interval training, your heart rate will go above 90 percent max, but you always follow this intensity with a recovery period. I am curious how you are monitoring your heart rate. Taking it manually mid- or post-run is generally inaccurate as are the hand sensor heart rate monitors on most cardio machines. I suggest investing in a personal heart rate monitor, if you haven't already. For more information on exercise and heart rate FitSugar has some information that may help you: Figuring Target Heart Rate, Heart Rate Recovery, and What Is a Good Resting Heart Rate. Measuring your resting heart rate is also an important part of this discussion. A normal resting heart rate for a highly athletic person is usually between 50 and 75 beats per minute. A resting heart rate greater than 100 usually indicates the diagnosis of tachycardia (fast heart rate) and could require further tests. Another important question is do you have any other symptoms? Hyperthyroidism can cause a feeling of skipped heartbeats called palpitations, which can be uncomfortable or unnerving. It can also cause atrial fibrillation, which is associated with a fast and irregular heart rate. If you are at all worried you could have a problem, I recommend talking to your primary doctor about your symptoms. If you have a question for DrSugar, send me a private message here and I will forward it to the good doctor. DrSugar's posts are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations. Click here for more details.

You Asked: Hold On for Heart Rate?

FitSugar — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:30:00 PST

You're asking and I'm answering . . .

Dear Fit,
I know it's a bad idea to hold onto the handles when using a cardio machine at the gym, however, whenever I am on the treadmill at my gym it is constantly beeping and asking me to, "Hold on for heart rate." What should I do?
-Confused Carrie

Great question! I know exactly what you mean, and I also know how annoying those interruptions can be, so here is my advice: Just hold on as long as you need for the machine to read your heart rate, and let go after the number appears - avoid the urge to lean-on or use the handles as a crutch to make your workout easier. If the machine keeps asking you to hold on to read your heart rate so frequently that you're not getting a good workout, then select another program that does not ask for your heart rate (i.e. not "fitness test"). If you still like to see your heart rate, but hate the machine begging you to hold on all the time, then you may want to get your own personal heart rate monitor, which will automatically transmit your heart rate to most cardio machines. Above all, keep up the good work!

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What's the Deal With: STRAPLESS Heart Rate Monitors

FitSugar — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:30:00 PDT

In case you're not familiar with heart rate monitors, they usually come with a watch you wear on your wrist, and a chest strap transmitter that you wear around your chest, since it is after all a chest strap. This strap goes next to your skin (sometimes you have to wet it a little with saliva or water to activate it) and it reads your heart rate and transmits the beats per minute to the watch.

Heart rate monitors can be expensive, depending on how many bells and whistles you get, but these strappy heart rate monitors will give you a constant readout of your heart rate, whether you're moving or not.

Then there are STRAPLESS heart rate monitors, like this one from Reebok called the Fitwatch 10S Strapless Heart Rate Monitor Watch. Don't be fooled! These sound innovative and amazing, but here's the deal. They don't give you a continuous readout. You see those two little grey buttons above and below the screen? You have to stop moving and stand still, press down on those buttons, and after 2-10 seconds, it'll tell you what your heart rate is.

These may not be good for people who have low resting heart rates, irregular heartbeats, or poor circulation in your fingertips.

You may be okay with having to stop every time to check your heart rate just so you don't have to deal with that annoying and constricting chest strap (that can slide down your torso when you get sweaty). If that's the case, this Reebok model got some great reviews. It's easy to use, gives you just as accurate a reading as strappy heart rate monitors, looks more sleek and feminine than other bulky watches, and is only $63.07 through Amazon.

Fit Tip: Finding "Moderate Intensity" For You

FitSugar — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 10:15:00 PDT

The new exercise guidelines recommend getting cardio exercise at moderate intensity. The question is what is moderate intensity for you - how do you find it and measure it? Well, Dr. Margolis, over at Yahoo Health has provided three ways to determine your intensity level.

The talk test. If you can hold an amiable conversation, then you are not working in the moderate intensity zone. You need to be breathing hard to be in this zone so a normal conversation should not be possible. Run by yourself? Then try singing with your playlist and if you can belt the entire chorus, you need to pick up the pace.
The "8 to 20" scale. Imagine a scale of intensity between 8 ad 20, with 8 being barely moving (like holding your toddler's hand while he or she navigates the early stages of walking) and 20 being working as hard as 007 in the "parkour/free running" scene in Casino Royale. You want to workout at and be able to maintain intensity of around 12.
Heart rate. Moderate-intensity exercise means working between 50 and 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. Check out the Fit Calculator to determine your numbers. You want to be work in the Endurance Training Mode - "going the distance."

Writing about all this makes me want to go for a run or a ride! See ya later!

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You Asked: Fat Burning Zone vs. Endurance

FitSugar — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 04:00:00 PDT

Dear FitSugar,
I have a question, I am trying to get toned and lose a little weight, but I
have heard a couple of things. I have heard not to run too fast so you
stay in your fat burning zone heart rate, but I have also heard it doesn't
matter if your heart goes into the endurance zone because you are still
burning calories and fat. Which is true? I just want to make sure I am
getting the best bang for my buck when I am running, thanks!
- Fat to Burn

Who of us hasn't been suckered into the notion of the "fat burning" zone? Truth is though, to lose weight you need to burn up calories, and endurance training does that more efficiently and effectively than staying in a lower heart rate zone. While it is true that the body burns a higher percentage of calories from fat during more mellow exercise like walking and easy cycling, when you increase the intensity of your cardio workout, you burn a greater number of overall calories (which should be your focus for weight loss) and subsequently just as much total fat.

So be efficient and do both simultaneously, burn it all up getting your heat rate above the Fat Burning Zone. To add intensity and calorie burning potential to your workout you should try interval training. It not only increases your cardiovascular fitness but it also increases your body's potential to burn fat! If you want a workout in this vein, check out Get IT Up, Your Heart Rate That Is: Interval Training.

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Summer Workout Tip: Hotter is Harder

FitSugar — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 03:30:00 PDT

In the dead of winter, a summery workout can seem amazing. Now that it's summer, we're always looking for ways to keep cool while still being able to workout.

One thing to keep in mind is that the hotter it is, the harder your body has to work when exercising. In order to prevent heatstroke (or other heat related illnesses) you should bring your intensity (how hard you work) down a level on especially hot days. This means that if you typically run a 10 minute mile outside, think about running an 11 minute mile instead -- You may even want to think about bringing your workout inside on those especially hot days or switching up your cardio to something a little cooler like swimming. A great way to keep tabs on how hard you are working is by using a heart rate monitor to make sure your heart does not reach extreme levels.

Not sure what your heart rate should be when working out? Then check Fit's Calculator to find out.

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Sauna as Post Workout Treat: Keep the Summer Heat in Mind

FitSugar — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 10:15:00 PDT

Recently I posted about ways to reward yourself for a workout well done, and one of those (and my favorite) is taking a sauna. I don't need to tell you about how great it feels. What I do need to tell you is you to hold off on jumping into the sauna, hot tub or steam room immediately after finishing your workout.

The heat from outdoors combined with the heat of the sauna can have a detrimental effect on your body. After working out, you already have elevated temperatures and your blood vessels are dilated. The heat needs to dissipate in order to bring your heart rate back to your resting zone and to bring blood back to your vital organs - cool downs are not just about finding time to stretch. So instead of rushing into more heat that can cause lightheadedness, dizziness, fatigue, nausea or worse, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and heart attacks, try a cool shower instead. Basically you need to allow your heart rate to return to resting levels before treating yourself to some relaxing heat at the end of your workout.

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