If you want to lose weight, engage in regular exercise and eat a healthy diet. Your heart rate is a good indicator of the intensity of your physical activity. To burn fat you should aim for your target zone, which is at least 50 percent of your maximum heart rate. According to the American Council on Exercise, your body burns a larger percentage of fat at a moderate intensity, compared with during more vigorous exercise. However, you’ll burn more calories overall at a higher rate.
Calculating Your Target Heart Rate
To burn fat, you should aim for 50 percent to 80 percent of your MHR. You can roughly estimate your MHR by subtracting your age from 220. For example, if you’re 40, your MHR will be 180 beats per minute. Your target should be between 90 and 144 beats per minute. Researchers at the Health and Human Performance Laboratory found people burned the highest rate of fat per minute at between 60 percent and 80 percent of their maximum heart rates. At higher levels, your body burns more glycogen, an energy source stored in muscles.
Measuring Your Heart Rate
To check your heart rate, press two fingers lightly on the artery in your wrist, and count the beats for 60 seconds, or 30 seconds and multiply by two. When exercising, stop briefly to check you're in your heart rate target zone. Alternatively, wear a heart rate monitor. If your rate is below your target, increase your rate of exercise. Slow down if it's too high. Check your rate again after finishing exercise to monitor your recovery. It should return to your normal resting level after about 10 minutes.
Exercising To Lose Weight
For weight loss, you need to burn more calories than you take in. There are 3,500 calories in 1 lb. of fat. The number of calories you burn depends on the activity, your weight and the intensity of exercise. If you weigh 160 lbs., swimming, high-impact aerobics, stationary rowing and cross-country skiing will burn around 511 calories an hour. Jogging at 5 mph will burn 584 calories an hour, while walking at 3.5 mph will burn 277 calories an hour. If you're heavier, you'll burn more calories. Choose an activity you enjoy, and aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week.
Considerations
If you're obese, have heart problems or other health concerns, talk to your doctor before beginning an exercise routine. Be aware that some medicines, such as beta-blockers, can affect your heart rate, meaning you may not be able to reach your target rate. If you're just starting to exercise, it's a good idea to build up gradually to your target. Never exceed 85 percent of your MHR.
References
- American Council on Exercise: Trimming Off The Fat; 2011
- "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research"; Quantifying Differences in the 'Fat Burning' Zone and the Aerobic Zone: Implications for Training; October 2009
- MayoClinic.com: Exercise for weight loss: Calories burned in 1 hour; December 2009
- MayoClinic.com: Beta Blockers: How Do They Affect Exercise? December 2009
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