A heart rate monitor takes the guess-work out of exercising. Successful exercise requires pacing, according to the American Heart Association. To manually keep track of your heart rate, you would need to stop periodically and take your pulse. Avoid this disruption in your workout with the use of a heart rate monitor. Talk to your doctor about beginning a fitness program and your target heart rate.
Target Heart Rate
Target heart rate is a scale that helps you maintain a recommended pulse during exercise. This keeps your heart working hard enough to benefit from the exercise and also gives you a maximum rate. In other words, a pulse rate you should not exceed when working out. To figure your target rate, subtract your age from 220. Multiply the difference by 50 percent. This is the minimum heart rate. To calculate the maximum, subtract your age from 220 and multiply the difference by 85 percent. For example, if you are 25 years old, the minimum rate is 98 and the maximum is 166. When wearing a heart monitor, you can keep an eye on your heart rate and adjust your pace to stay within the target range.
Interval Training
Interval training requires a burst of exercise followed by a rest period. For example, you might increase your walking speed until your heart rate reaches the maximum, hold the pace for three minutes and then slow down until your heart is beating at the minimum number for five minutes. A heart monitor will improve the effectiveness of interval training by giving you a visual signal that you have reached the correct heart rate.
Motivation
Heart monitors increase your motivation by recording your progress. Some devices do more than just measure the heart beats. They can calculate distance, measure calories burned and store the data from each workout. Over time, you can monitor your improvement. For instances, if your goal is 5 miles a day, you may start at only 2 miles. With a heart rate monitor, you will see the progression as you work toward your goal whether it is maintaining your target pulse or managing the other readings.
Types of Heart Rate Monitors
Heart rate monitors come in all shapes and sizes. They must make contact with your body at a pulse point to be accurate. Some will attach to the wrist similar to a watch. Others may wrap around the chest and measure the beat from there. Monitors can work as part of exercise equipment, as well. For instances, some treadmills have a sensor on the handle the reads the rate from one fingertip. Whatever style device you select, read the instructions carefully. If the monitor is placed incorrectly, it will provide inaccurate readings.
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