Your body burns calories constantly irrespective of what you do. However, your body burns even more calories when your pulse is elevated. This is why cardio exercises such as walking, jogging and swimming are recommended for people who are trying to lose weight. To improve your body’s fat-burning efficiency, you should aim to jog at your target heart rate.
Calculate Target Heart Pulse
Your target heart is an aerobic zone that lies between 50 percent and 70 percent of your maximum heart zone. Jogging within this range will boost your metabolism allowing you to burn more calories. To determine your maximum heart rate, subtract your age in years from 220. Multiply the result by 0.5 and 0.7 respectively to determine the upper and lower limits of your target heart range.
Measure Heart Pulse
To measure your heart pulse, place your middle and index finger over your wrist or by your neck — whichever is most comfortable. Count the number of beats that occur over a 10-second period. Multiply this number by 6 to determine your current pulse. An alternative is to jog with a portable heart rate monitor such as the kind found in most sports watches. This will allow you to jog and simultaneously keep track of your heart pulse.
Importance of Resting Heart Pulse
Your resting heart pulse can be used to determine whether you are fit or out of shape. The normal resting heart pulse of an adult ranges from 60 beats per minute to 100 beats per minutes. The average resting heart rate for good health is 70 bpm to 75 bpm. People with resting heart rate within the range of 60 bpm to 70 bpm are considered to be fit while those with resting heart rates above 85 pm are considered to be unfit.
Safety Consideration
Measure your resting heart pulse before your begin jogging. Consult your physician if you find that it is too high — above 100 bpm — or too low — below 60 bpm. Jogging with an irregular heart rate can lead to cardiovascular disorders such as stroke or cardiac arrhythmia.
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