Exercising and exercising every day is a common recommendation from doctors and physical wellness specialists to keep our heart in shape, which is essential to extend our life and its quality, and avoid all kinds of cardiovascular diseases.
There are sports that are especially suitable for taking care of our heart health, such as swimming, cycling, walking or running, which at the same time consume all those calories we have left over. When you start a physical activity, you are in a different shape than other people, and it is not the same to start running a bike with 5 kilos more than with 20, or with 25 years old than with 55. It is always indicated to start gently, little by little and increase according to your physical capacity.
To evaluate and calculate the way and times to increase your physical exercise, technique comes to your aid, and today we have several devices that allow us to monitor the degree of effort you make at all times.
For example, the heart rate monitor can be a great ally when it comes to regulating the intensity and duration of your exercise and the way you climb one or the other. Here’s how to use a heart rate monitor.
What do you need to use a heart rate monitor?
- A heart rate monitor
Instructions for using a heart rate monitor
- What is a heart rate monitor? It’s an electronic device that measures the rate of your heartbeat in real time, and tells you your heart rate per minute. It is an elastic strap covered with electrodes that fits to the chest, at the level of the heart. The electrodes record the heartbeat and send the information to a device, a kind of digital watch, worn on the wrist. On this watch you will see your heart rate, a fundamental piece of information to control your exercise or, if you have it, coronary heart disease. The most modern heart rate monitors also include a GPS with which you are geographically located, a calorie counter or an odometer.
- What is heart rate? Heart rate is the number of times the heart contracts per minute to pump blood throughout the body, distributing the necessary oxygen and nutrients to all corners of our body. An optimal frequency for our health is defined by blood pressure – the famous tension – and the number of heartbeats. Healthy blood pressure is below 160/95, as measured by the blood pressure monitor. The heart rate of a healthy person in a resting state is between 50 and 100 per minute. The point is that when we exercise, this frequency shoots up and then it is necessary to control them so as not to make an excessive effort that is harmful to our health.
- What is the maximum heart rate? There is a rule to be able to calculate it, and that is to subtract your age from 220. This rule shows you that the younger you are, the more beats per minute you can achieve in an aerobic exercise within a range that does not involve risk to your health. For example, if you are 60 years old, subtract them from 220 = 160 will be the maximum heart rate you can achieve by making a physical effort. Or, if you’re 20 years old, you’ll be able to reach 200 beats per minute in your exercises. However, it is very important to leave a margin and not exceed 170 beats per minute in a not too long period of time, minutes, and depending on the physical condition of each person.
- Why use a heart rate monitor? There are many reasons to use a heart rate monitor, given the usefulness of this device. Of course, a heart rate monitor can become an everyday accessory, like a watch, for those who suffer from heart disease or who have suffered a cardiovascular accident, such as a heart attack, angina pectoris, etc. In these cases, gentle exercise is usually recommended and in order not to overdo it, a heart rate monitor is an essential monitor. It is also an accessory that will greatly facilitate your work if you are an amateur or professional athlete or if you are a personal trainer. When it comes to carrying out an exercise routine that you will later want to study to evaluate your progress and the level of hardness of it, the heart rate monitor will become an inseparable companion.
Tips for using a heart rate monitor
- To lose weight and burn fat, you must not only perform a hard and intense exercise, but it has to last for a minimum of time. That’s why nutritionists always tell you that to start losing weight, you should do the exercises you want but for a minimum of time, at least 30 minutes. Therefore, the heart rate should not exceed 120 or 130 beats per minute. You must combine the intensity of the exercise with the time of the exercise, without exceeding the aforementioned heart rate.