Exercising - minimum pulse-rate for fat burning..?

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david081
david081 Posts: 489 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm a 48-year old bloke, and I do quite a bit of walking. However, due to other lifestyle issues, the weight gradually crept on and I ignored it, until this year when I discovered this site! I have read that to burn fat you have to exercise at 75 to 85% of your max heart rate - is this true? For me (220 - 48) my max heart rate is 172, therefore I should be exercising at between 129 - 146 BPM. I can't reach this realistically! My resting heart rate is 46, and walking briskly (up to 4mph) gets it to 96. Today I walked up a mountain, and found some of the ascent quite hard, but only got to 120 BPM - so, what's the score? Do I lose weight slower, am I burning off muscle instead, what does it all mean..?

PS - I can't run (too old for it) so please don't tell me I need to do that..!

Best regards, David

Replies

  • Alysgrma
    Alysgrma Posts: 365 Member
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    Bump I would like to know this as well..Thanks for asking the question :smile:
  • Kelleinna
    Kelleinna Posts: 160
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    Can you do jumping jacks or run in place or something that would get your heart rate up? If you can figure out what you can do to get your heart rate up, you could just stop every five minutes or so during your walk and do that for 1 minute or something. Mix it up a little.

    Oh yeah, and I just read something about some seriously old dude (like WAY older than you) that just finished yet another marathon. So you're not too old. ;)
  • RMES
    RMES Posts: 2
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    I know a 76 year old couple that run marathons every year....age is a barrier that you give yourself to prevent you from trying something you clearly don't want to do. Start small....run one minute walk one minute....and build yourself up two and two and so on. I ran when I was a teen but thought that it was in my past. However I have built my jogging time up to 10 minutes which is huge for me. From here on in I am going to push myself past my comfort level....I haven't seen obvious results but can honestly say that I haven't pushed myself either....today I went outside of my comfort zone and worked harder and felt the burn.


    Good luck to ya!
  • CMcBryer
    CMcBryer Posts: 139 Member
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    Your resting heart rate is excellent for someone your age. If you walk quite a bit and are getting your heart rate up to 120 on mountain hikes, then I'd say just lowering your caloric intake (what this site manages) will work for you to lose the fat. All you need is a caloric deficit and you're on your way.

    Their are other ways to elevate your heart rate other than running. Any cardio activity will raise your heart rate so find something you really enjoy doing and stick with it. It already seems that you enjoy hiking, so make your hikes continually tougher.

    Good luck and I wish you all the best!
  • chicknlady
    chicknlady Posts: 2 Member
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    No no no, PLEASE do not say that you are too old to run! I'm 46 and still able to and people way older do indeed run marathons. It's ok to say you have health reasons not too (joints, say).

    Losing weight happens whenever there is a calorie deficit. You can get there by eating less calories or exercising -- no matter how intense, exercise burns more calories than sitting still. I think the deal is that you burn more calories in the same time period with a higher intensity workout. Walking is great exercise, it will just take more minutes to burn the same calories. Your ticker shows you're losing weight, so just keep at it!
  • carrieliz81
    carrieliz81 Posts: 489 Member
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    A resting heart rate of 46? Wow, that seems LOW! I would thinking hiking up hill would get your ticker pumping pretty good... you could also try some other kinds of gym equipment like stairmaster or elliptical that are good for aerobic activity. What about swimming...? Also, those published rates are based off of general averages...... I would think your doctor would better know what would be appropriate for you specifically. If your resting rate is lower than most people's, then the published ranges probably wouldn't apply to you. Anything you can do to increase your heart rate above resting is good, though, so keep at it! :)
  • justann
    justann Posts: 276 Member
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    No "I can't" allowed!!!! :noway: I am a year older than you, smoked over 30 years, and was a couch potato but I started running using the C25K program and now I love it! Other than that I have no clue as to an answer for you but I can't wait to see what others say. Good luck!
  • BuceesNana
    BuceesNana Posts: 302 Member
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    http://www.the-fitness-walking-guide.com/calculate-target-heart-rate.html

    I found this site that explains the mathematics of finding your target range. Hope this helps. :)
  • AmandaDaley
    AmandaDaley Posts: 15 Member
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    Of course you can run. I used to think I'd die getting my heart rate up to 160, but I do it on a nearly daily basis now.
    Seriously, though, if you're concerned about old joints or bones, you can do some cardio that has less impact. I go to a spin class because I hear cycling is better for your knees than running. You still get your heart rate up, but are at less risk for injury. Swimming is good cardio too, you even learn to control your breathing so you don't suck in water.
    Also, you're still burning fat even if you're not working as hard, but you are burning less of it. According to the calculations here on the site, even walking will burn 100 calories, but it'll take longer than if you were running.
  • rockabyesarojane
    rockabyesarojane Posts: 471
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    pump your arms and lift small weights while you walk. do punches while you walk. using your arms is a great way to blast the heart rate up!
  • david081
    david081 Posts: 489 Member
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    No "I can't" allowed!!!! :noway: I am a year older than you, smoked over 30 years, and was a couch potato but I started running using the C25K program and now I love it! Other than that I have no clue as to an answer for you but I can't wait to see what others say. Good luck!

    Thanks all for the encouraging replies - I used to do a 'fartlek' routine round the coast here, I'll give it a try! BTW, what's the C25K programme? My mountain walk took me 162 minutes, but mfp says it was worth 1032 calories. I guess by running I could burn em quicker! If I have the time the mountain is nice, and in walking distance from my front door - maybe I'll be fit enough to run over it some day!

    Regards, David :)

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