When you're working out, you may wonder whether or not you're working hard enough or too hard. Some measure whether they're getting a good workout by the amount of sweat their body's producing, but this is wrong, according to the American Council on Exercise. The way to measure if you're working hard enough is by monitoring your heart rate.
Intensity
As you increase the intensity of your workout, your heart rate will increase to match the amount of blood and oxygen pumping through your body. If your base heart rate is 80 beats per minute, or bpm, walking may increase it -- depending upon speed -- to 105 bpm. If you're running, your heart rate may climb to 140 bpm. No matter what activity you're doing, make sure that you stay within your target heart rate.
Measuring Your Max Heart Rate
To determine the intensity of your exercise, you must determine your maximal heart rate, or max heart rate. Calculating your max heart rate is simple. Subtract your age from 220; the answer is an approximate number of what your max heart rate is. The reason for this is because as you age, your heart beats slower. If you're 32 years old, your estimated max heart rate is 188 bpm.
Finding Your Target Heart Rate
Your target heart rate is the rate that your heart should be beating while you exercise. Your target heart rate should range between 50 to 80 percent of your max heart rate. This is why calculating your max heart rate is so important. If your max heart rate is 188 bpm, your target heart rate should be a minimum of 94 bpm with a max of 151 bpm. As long as your heart rate falls between these numbers, you can ensure you're in fat-burning mode while working out.
How to Monitor Your Heart Rate
It's important that you get an accurate measurement when monitoring your heart rate while you're working out to ensure you stay within your target heart rate. You can take your pulse at your carotid artery, on the side of your neck, or at the base of your thumb. Use your index and middle finger to take your pulse and place them on the site where you're going to monitor your heart rate. You can identify whether you've found the vein by feeling for a beating or pounding sensation just below your skin. Once you've identified the artery, count the number of beats that you feel for 10 seconds. Multiply that number by 6, because there are 60 seconds in a minute and you took your pulse for 10 seconds; remember that pulses are recorded as beats per minute. If you count 25 beats in those 10 seconds, your pulse would be 150 bpm.
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