Your heart rate is simply a measure of how quickly your heart is beating at any given moment. It is affected by stress, sleeplessness, position, medication and fitness level, but most importantly, by exercise. The heart rate climbs in a predictable enough way that it can be used as an effective tool to gauge both your fitness level and the intensity of your workout. Wristwatch-type heart rate monitors give you an instant read-out, but you can check your own heart rate by taking your pulse on the side of your neck or the inside of your wrist.
Resting Heart Rate
Your resting heart rate is the pace at which your heart beats when there is no exertion whatsoever. The most accurate reading is taken first thing in the morning before you get out of bed, by counting the number of times your pulse beats in a minute. A shortcut is to count the beats in six seconds and multiply it by 10, but counting for a full minute is slightly more accurate. According to the American Heart Association, 60 to 80 beats per minute is normal. A lower resting heart rate is a sign of good fitness because it illustrates that your body uses energy more efficiently.
Maximum Heart Rate
Subtract your age from 220 if you're a man, or 226 if you're a woman. The result is your maximum heart rate, which is the upper limit of your personal scale. Working out at or above this rate severely increases your risk of injury or cardiac event --- even elite athletes with years of training can only perform at this level for very short periods of time. Knowing your maximum heart rate is the key to figuring out the exercise intensity that will help you reach your goals.
Fat Burning Zone
The fat burning zone is considered mild to moderate exercise, which is enough for most people. Multiply your maximum heart rate by 0.5 to find the lower end, and 0.7 to find the upper end of the zone. Working at this level means that 85 percent of the calories you burn will be from fat. If you are new to exercise, stay toward the lower end of the scale --- you'll still reap all of the health benefits, only you'll burn fewer overall calories.
Endurance Training Zone
Multiply your maximum heart rate by .7, then .8 to find your endurance training zone. The cardiovascular benefits increase, and your heart will actually get larger and stronger through regular training. This zone is good for marathoners and other athletes who need to train their cardiovascular system to pump blood more efficiently, but may be too much for some people. You'll burn more calories, but only half of them will be from fat. Adding short intervals in this zone to your regular workout may jump start your fat loss by boosting your overall calorie burn, while the longer, lighter intervals will ensure that most of the burn comes from fat instead of carbs.
Performance Zone
The performance zone is more intense, and helps teach your respiratory system to take in more air with each breath. Your body will learn to keep up a faster pace for longer periods of time without "hitting the wall." Multiply your maximum heart rate by .8 and .9 to find your performance zone. Predictably, the calorie burn is even higher, but only 15 percent of the calories burned come from fat.
Maximum Zone
Multiply your maximum heart rate by .9 to find the lower limit of your maximum zone, then never work out at that pace. It is very extreme, very intense, and can stress your heart and lungs to the point where you will require medical attention. Few athletes work at this pace, even for short periods, and those that do have been given permission by their doctors after a thorough workup. Never attempt to work this hard on your own.
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