20160602 - exercise

Exercise and Target Heart Rate  

The fitness world is full of exercise gadgets. Some are good, but many are more trouble than they are worth. Regardless of what shape you are in, 1 device you might find useful is a heart rate monitor.

The key to cardiovascular fitness is getting a good but safe aerobic workout. Heart rate monitors, which monitor your heart rate while you exercise, can help you do that with ease. They range from relatively simple devices that show at a glance how many times per minute your heart is beating, to devices that record information like how long you were exercising at your target heart rate.

Although target heart rates might seem too complicated for beginners, it's important information to know regardless of your fitness level, says the American Council on Exercise.

Here's a simple way to determine your maximum and target heart rates: Subtract your age from 220 to figure out your maximum heart rate. For example, if you are 35, your maximum heart rate is 185 beats per minute. Your target heart rate is 50% to 85% of that number, or 93 beats to 157 beats per minute. These numbers are based on a healthy adult. 

Feel the pulse

 Now that you know what your target heart rate should be, you can calculate your heart or pulse rate using a watch. To take your wrist, or radial, pulse, hold 1 hand in front of you palm upward. Gently place the index and middle fingers of the other hand near the thumb-side of the wrist to feel the pulse. You should not need to press hard to feel the pulse. It is generally better to check the radial pulse, but if for some reason you need to check your neck, or carotid pulse, be sure to check only 1 side at a time. Never press hard. Count the beats for 10 seconds, then multiply this number by 6 to give you the beats per minute. 

This method is fine for many exercisers. If you like the idea of having that information instantly available in the middle of a workout, you might want to buy a monitor.

Heart rate monitors aren't as exact as an EKG test, but they can be very accurate. The most inexpensive models have 2 parts: a small transmitter mounted on a belt that wraps around your chest, and a device like a wristwatch that displays the numbers. There are no wires. The watch-like monitor picks up signals from the transmitter. 

 https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=1&contentid=682