Archive for: November 2007

You can acquire and maintain cardiovascular fitness with many activities, but if you want to keep your ability to row, or run, or swim, you have to do that exact activity.

Health clubs are playing to worries about childhood obesity while tapping into yet another source of revenue, which explains the rise of group exercise at gyms for children 5 and under.

When someone says life isn’t worth living, pay attention.

Are video games really bad for children? Yes, no and maybe.

Why Have a Cardio Heart Rate Monitor?

I recently finished a 12-week team fitness and weight loss program at my local gym, where I learned many valuable things about fitness training and how it relates to heart health and efficient workouts. I experienced first-hand the necessity of being able to watch your heart rate with an exercise heart rate monitor, while doing various speed and incline intervals on the treadmill to have a more effective workout. A cardio heart rate monitor can tell you your heart rate, cardio training zone, calories burned and give you valuable heart smart knowledge about your body’s fitness.

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Know Your Cardio Zones

After completing this fitness program, I learned that it is absolutely necessary to know what heart rate training zone you are working in to improve your workout efficiency — to get the most benefit in the least amount of time. A heart rate monitor helps you know what cardio zone (Zones 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5) you are working in. During class, we spent most of our time working between Zone 2: the “temperate zone,” Zone 3: the “aerobic zone,” and some time in Zone 4: the “threshold zone.” Zone 2 is commonly known as the fat burning zone, where you are exercising comfortably and body fat begins moving out of your cells. Zone 3, typically referred to as the sweat zone, involves exercising at 70%-80% of your maximum heart rate, burning a combination of fat and carbohydrates and increasing your aerobic capacity.

Beginning to intermediate workouts include work in Zone 2 & 3 for people training to improve their aerobic fitness. Zone 4 is a tougher place to work out, where you go above your “Anaerobic Threshold (AT).” (Your AT is the level of exercise your body can sustain utilizing both fat and carbohydrates as fuel). Finally, Zone 5: the “high zone,” uses the highest pecentage of heart beats and calories burned as you become more advanced and get in top physical condition. I could always count on my heart rate monitor to tell me which zone I was in and for how long, including my heart rates and recovery times. After a period of time, I got to know how my body’s heart rate responded while working between these zones, and up to AT and back down.

Know Your Heart Rate - Hands Free

In addition, a heart rate monitor can tell you your heart rate while your hands remain free of the treadmill. While we walked or ran the treadmill, the trainer called out something like “OK, now three minutes to the top of Zone 3,” or “Two minutes recovery time to the bottom of Zone 2,” as we lifted 5 to 8 pound weights, or stretched rubber bands in various routines. Its convenient and easy to look at your heart rate monitor while you are in the middle of these routines using your arms and hands for upper body fitness. Our trainer continually stressed to a few in the class that did not yet have heart rate monitors, that the treadmill heart monitor could not be counted on to be accurate. This is especially so while a person is lifting weights at various inclines and speeds while walking or running.

Watch Your Calories Burn!

I enjoyed watching my cardio heart rate monitor tell me the number of calories I was burning while working out, as well as up to about three hours afterward. At the beginning of each treadmill workout, Id punch my heart rate monitor to the calorie display and hit “Start.” By watching this display continually during my workout, it helped me to know how my bodys heart rate coincided with the number of calories burned. (The calories will naturally burn more slowly in the beginning of your workout). As we warmed up and worked into Zone 3, then up to AT — it was interesting to watch the number of calories burn so much faster! What was even more fun — was seeing the number of calories burned at the end of the workout session.

More Efficient Workouts = More Benefits

No matter where you are on your road to lifetime fitness, by working out efficiently you will increase your benefits in a shorter period of time. You can expect to have more energy, feel stronger, and have less stress while learning to use a program tailored to your exercise fitness goals and heart health needs. If you are more fit but looking for improvements, you can still expect to enjoy working out, burn fat more efficiently and train smarter, not harder. Even if you’re a serious athlete or marathon runner, you will continually increase your heart monitoring knowledge, and be able to create a precision fitness training program. In my own experience, I decreased my body fat percentage by 5% and decreased my resting pulse rate and recovery times. I learned how my body’s heart rate responded while working between the zones, up to AT and back down. I gained valuable knowledge so I am continually able to increase my fat burning and aerobic capacities, and go to the next level of improvement.

Summary - Work Out Smarter!

Once you get a heart rate monitor, you’ll be hooked! You’ll no longer be content to not be able to know your heart rate, training zones or calories burned. You’ll realize that by knowing your heart rate, you’ll get the very most from your body’s fitness capacities and your time spent pursuing your lifetime fitness goals. Today, its all about working smarter, not harder! A heart rate monitor will help you to work out the smart way! You’ll gain valuable knowledge about your personal fitness, which helps you reach your fitness goals easier, and faster. Just remember - be consistent, and don’t give up!

www.BestCardioMonitors.com

For decades, doctors have dismissed growing pains as normal signs of growing in small children.

While it looks like a normal restaurant, a Dutch facility is devoted to exploring one question: What makes people eat and drink the way they do?

In the capital of no-fat, no-carb, no-fun food, a cupcake conundrum.

As Americans carve up their Thanksgiving turkeys this year, an age-old question will come into play: dark meat or white?

In San Francisco, restaurants are treating meatless cooking as cuisine rather than neurosis.

More often than not, chronic pain is untreated or undertreated, but it does not have to be this way.

Researchers who followed the health of older people for almost a decade found that those who walked more quickly were less likely to die.

The fat-laden Thanksgiving Day binge touches off a digestive workout that raises health risks.

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author jo.com - When I first saw the X-iser Stepping Machine I was apprehensive. I am used to step machines which have consoles and handles. It&#146s really important to use this machine according to what level you are. The machine can be dangerous if you aren&#146t...

CamelBak BPA-Free Better Water Bottle with Bite Valve
Amazon Price:


Customer Review: This water bottle is exactly what I was looking for. It was a little difficult to get used to the bite and sip, but I got the hang of it after about two trys It’s a great water bottle and I haven’t noticed any build up in the mouthpiece and no weird tastes in the bottle. It’s excellent.

Omron HJ-112 Digital Premium Pedometer
Amazon Price: $24.99


Customer Review: After trying the pedometer for a few days to see how many steps I take in a normal day, I was very motivated to improve! I have been trying to get the recommended 10,000 steps a day and it’s nice to have a product that is so accurate!

Omron HJ-720ITC Pocket Pedometer with Advanced Omron Health Management Software
Amazon Price: $29.99


Customer Review: I’ve used quite a few pedometers in my day and this one is by far the best. Not perfect, though. Some of the pros: the flexibility of being able to carry it in your pocket or bag is not to be underestimated. If you want to wear your pedometer to work but don’t want it to be obvious, this is ideal. I also love the software option. In the past, I would mark my progress in a little notebook. But the fact that you can plug the unit into your computer and instantly see your data in the form of charts and graphs is great! Seeing a visual display…

Omron HR-100C Heart Rate Monitor
Amazon Price: $34.58


Customer Review: Does excellent job of reporting heart rate. Includes watch and alarm for maximum and minimum rates. Simplicity plus makes it good for me

Everlast Multi Function Chinning Bar
Amazon Price: $34.78


Customer Review: Took way too long to assemble, screws aren’t the right size.

Once I finally got it together, it didn’t work on my door frame.

Apparently made for door that are very deep, the top part couldn’t actually grip onto anything and I fell on my butt.

Really, really substandard product.