Target Heartrate

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donne103
donne103 Posts: 20 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I just got my HRM monitor in the mail (Polar FT4). Everything for my age (28) says that my target should be from 105-163 (or some variant that is similar depending on the calculator) with a max heart rate of 192. My resting heart rate currently is around 70-80.

So I decided today that I would put the HRM on and just do my normal cleaning (picking up toys, starting a load of laundry, cleaning up the counters, vacuuming, etc). I wore it for 37 minutes while I did so and it seemed that my heart rate averaged in the 135-155 range, which would put me in my target range and it said I burned 327 calories.

Now, I do think it's accurate. Mostly because at the gym when walking on a tread mil or on my elliptical at home my HR is normally in the 170's - 180's with the occasional 190 (but I thought maybe the monitors on the machines weren't accurate). However, if I'm that high aren't I past the point of optimal fat burning? While cleaning and staying in the 135-155 range I was NOT winded at all (this is everyday stuff for me) but was a bit sweaty when I finished (however it's 75 in our house as we're having a warm spell).

I plan on wearing it to do the 30DS tonight, but what happens if my HR is over 190 (as I know it works me HARD). Does that mean I shouldn't be doing the 30DS right now and should instead to focusing on lighter exercise until my HR drops? Is there a variable for weight that isn't accounted for in the calculators I'm using?

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  • frugalmomsrock
    frugalmomsrock Posts: 1,123
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    http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/following-a-cardio-plan-for-weight-loss.html

    During low-intensity aerobic exercise, your body does use fat as its primary fuel source. As you get closer to your breaking point, your body starts using a smaller percentage of fat and a larger percentage of carbohydrates, another fuel source. However, picking up the pace allows you to burn more total calories, as well as more fat calories.

    Here's how: If you go in-line skating for 30 minutes at a leisurely roll, you might burn about 100 calories — about 80 percent of them from fat (so that's 80 fat calories). But if you spend the same amount of time skating with a vengeance over a hilly course, you might burn 300 calories — 30 percent of them from fat (that's 90 fat calories). So at the fast pace, you burn more than double the calories and 10 more fat calories.

    I love this article. It's one of the first ones I read when starting my exercise routine, and I still reference it often. :)

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