When you put together a weight control and fitness program, it's useful to know how many calories you burn when you exercise. Plugging your heart rate into a formula will give you a good idea. Use a heart rate monitor for a reasonably accurate estimate. Or take your own pulse and use online resources to figure out how fast you're burning fat. The do-it-yourself model puts you in the ballpark but, for precise heart rate data, a treadmill stress test gives the best results.
Step 1
Find your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220 if you are a man and from 226 if you are a woman. Multiply your training zone times your maximum rate to get your target heart rate. The training zone is the heart rate range that corresponds to the level of a workout. Your heart rate should be about half your maximum rate during a very light workout or warm up and about three-quarters of your maximum heart rate during an aerobic workout.
Step 2
Use training zones to figure levels of workout intensity and percentages of fats burned. The warm up zone is 50 to 60 percent of your maximum heart rate and 85 percent of the calories burned are fat. The fitness zone is 60 to 70 percent of maximum heart rate and 85 percent of calories burned are fat. The aerobic-endurance zone is 70 to 80 percent of maximum heart rate with 50 percent fat calories burned. Exercise above this level is anaerobic and a very low percentage of calories burned are from fat.
Step 3
Find your heart rate to see if you are hitting your target heart rate. Once you have your heart rate you can determine calories burned from fat by comparing the target heart rate -- maximum heart rate multiplied by training zone percentages -- to your heart rate while performing the exercise.
Step 4
To get your heart rate, place your index and middle fingers on the side of your neck, under your chin, just above the angle of the collar bone. Breathe normally and wait until you feel a clear pulse in the carotid artery. If you don't get a strong pulse, move your fingers slightly until you find the sweet spot. Some people prefer to use the radial artery on the underside of the wrist below the thumb.
Step 5
Count the pulses or beats for 60 seconds, using a stop watch or the second hand of your watch. If you lose track, you can count the beats for 6 seconds and multiply the number by ten. But you'll get a better estimate by counting your heart beats for a full minute.
Step 6
Enter your heart rate, gender, age, weight, type and duration of exercise in an online calculator to see approximately how many calories you are burning. Then check your target heart rate calculation to find out how many of those calories are fat.
Tips and Warnings
- Calorie counters on gym machines may not ask for enough information to estimate your calorie use with any accuracy. Different ages, weights, body builds and fitness levels change the number of calories burned during a workout.
- If you have been sedentary for some time, have a thorough check up before beginning a fitness and weight loss program.
Things You'll Need
- Stopwatch or watch with second hand
- Pencil and paper (optional)
- Internet access
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