Measuring your Heart Rate is the most reliable and simple way to indicate the intensity of your workout. Your heart rate shows how hard your heart is working during exercise and training – how fast it pumps out and delivers oxygenated blood and nutrients to the working muscles.
By determining the intensity of your workouts, you can exercise safely and effectively by staying in the right range of intensity for your fitness level and exercise goals. Each person has a specific target heart rate to reach when they work out. This lets you know if you are training hard enough, or if you are behind your target fitness goal. You can check out the target heart rates from the American Heart Association based on your age by clicking here.
How To Measure Your Heart Rate:
Measuring your heart rate is very simple as long as you have the use of a timer or a watch and you know how to find your pulse. You can use your index finger and middle finger as your tools to feel your pulse. Place your fingers either over your carotid artery or radial artery. Count the number of pulses you feel for 15 seconds, with the first beat counting as zero. Multiply this by 4 and you will find your heart rate per minute.
For someone who is serious in pursuing fitness goals, the heart rate monitor is a vital tool to quickly and accurately measure heart rate and determine if the intensity is within the desired goal. These devices are affordable and a great investment if you are serious about your fitness goals. Some people who have medical conditions are advised to use a heart rate monitor when working out to assess if the intensity of their exercise is still safe for them. Most of these fitness gadgets can be customized to match your fitness level and age, and some even feature beeps and alerts to ‘coach’ you and let you know how you are doing.
This article originally appeared on www.coachbillygoco.com. It was shared with the author's written permission.