packerena

I agree with the other repliers and I'd like to add that some monitors with the chest straps also tell you what "zone" your heart rate was in and what percentage of calories you burned were in the fat, cardio, or fitness zones. I get a "mail" message on my hrm each Monday morning that gives me a summary of the week before…

I am a Zumba *instructor* with a hrm. I burn at least 500 calories per 50 minute class. It is usually around 650. In Zumba Gold, I usually burn 500 calories in 50 minutes. I have a list at http://rencsi.com/b/2010/05/calories-burned-during-zumba/ if you want see more of a breakdown. Zumba hugs!

I've heard to lose 1 pound per week, you need to remove 500 calories per day beyond the number of calories your body would use to maintain your weight based on your activity level (BMR). That 500 calorie reduction can be created by burning calories during exercise, reducing your calorie intake by dieting, or a combination…

I bought the Polar FT60. My readings are high on some exercises (like running) and low on others (like yoga). I bought it because I'm a Zumba instructor and Zumba isn't on any activity lists. Zumba reads waaaaay higher than "Dancing, aerobic" which is what I was using before I bought the heart rate monitor. Don't stop…

You might have purchased a heart rate monitor that does only that - monitor your heart rate. Many models calculate calories burned for you. If not, you can use an online calculator like this one to calculate calories burned based on your average heart rate during an exercise session. Copy and paste:…

I bought my Polar FT60 heart rate monitor on Amazon.

Copperhead Road - Steve Earle Crazy Game of Poker - O.A.R. I use these songs for running ALL the time! Copperhead Road gets me up hills!

In case anyone is looking, here's another site with lots of restaurant chain calorie calculators: http://www.eddieoneverything.com/nutrition_info/calculators The other nice thing about Wendy's nutritional info is their Animal Welfare program. I'm a vegetarian, but at least they try: "Proper Animal Handling: We believe that…

How about jumps? Wall jumps, squat jumps, tuck jumps, etc. Or some good old-fashioned burpees and/or mountain climbers.

Have you ever thought of buying a HR monitor? I'm a group fitness instructor and I just bought one to track how many calories I burn each day - primarily in Zumba class. Each Zumba class can vary widely. It wasn't cheap, but I'm sooooo glad I bought the heart rate monitor. I bought the Polar FT60. Super cute profile…

I like your user name! Good luck to you too!

I think you all mean phat with a ph. :) Cheesy? Absolutely, but be kind to yourself! Don't call yourself names like fat - you can do this and be whoever you want to be!

Thanks for all the nice replies! It is sad, but comforting to know others are going through this too. I must confess: My parents are animal lovers and the beloved family dog, Poncho, passed away about two and a half years ago. I've considered "finding" a nice, calm dog and asking them to give it a home temporarily so…

I just weighed in Friday night for a personal spring challenge I'm putting myself through. Finding out that I'm 25% body fat has been GREAT motivation to reduce that number for summertime & swimsuits - I have even resisted Reese's Peanut Butter Easter Eggs this weekend. I hope your weigh in tomorrow morning motivates you…

I agree with LinaBrynn, start using the FOOD tab on myfitnesspal. It'll make you aware of how many calories you need to take in and how many calories you actually are taking in. Pretty soon you'll see foods (and beverages) you can cut that'll help you reduce your daily calorie intake & start to lose weight. Then you can…

somigliana: I'm glad to hear you like calypso & raggaeton because my classes seem a little hesitant about these rhythms - maybe it is because we are in Minnesota and it is unnatural to many of us. :) maestrachistosa: I looked up the songs you suggested on YouTube and they are familiar to me as well. Great music. A lot of…

There is a whole 30 day meal plan, shopping list, & healthy snack list. I think my boyfriend & I are going to give it a try. I'll let you know how it goes!

Hey Zumba lovers! I'm an instructor looking for inspiration: What are your favorite Zumba songs and/or dances? Any warm up or cool down song suggestions? Thanks in advance for any & all replies. Zumba hugs, Renee

I feel fairly confident my body fat is around 18% because I've had it measured by professionals with calipers - not an online calculator. Calipers are still not the best method. My point was simply to show you the huge margin of error of online body fat "calculators."

I know my body fat percentage is 18%. I went online and did a search for body fat calculator and entered my measurements into a few of the sites (including the one above). The results were all over the board - as high as 33% on one site - and none of them were even close to 18%. Be careful when using online calculators,…

Body fat is a tricky thing to estimate just by looking at someone. I think it would be pretty hard to calculate body fat with an online calculator. I wouldn't trust that information. I think you want to get your body fat measured with a caliper or electronic body fat measuring device. I'm sure your doctor could do a…

i agree! it is simple, but still very useful.

I'm a Zumba instructor and I agree with Stephanie08. It all depends on how much you weigh and how high you take the intensity of your Zumba workout, but 300-500 is probably a good place to start. Zumba.com FAQ's section doesn't offer much help. This is the answer according to http://www.zumba.com/us/faq/#other : "How many…