Fit Tip of the Day: Wear A Heart Rate Monitor

Did you know there’s a difference between burning fat and carbs?  Personal Trainer and Life Coach, Dennis Grounds suggests using a heart rate monitor during your cardio workout it can help you distinguish which you’re burning. You always want to make sure you’re working out in your fat-burning zone. To calculate your personal target zone, use the formula below.

Fat burn zone formula:

Step one: 220 – age = X

Step two: X times .65 % = minimum number for fat burn zone

Step three: X times >85% = maximum number of fat burn zone

Example: 220 – 28 = 192 bpm (beats per minute)

192 x .65% = 124 bpm

192 x .85% = 163 bpm

124 – 163 = fat burning zone

For the best results, follow a process called metabolic conditioning. Metabolic conditioning is working at 90 to 100% of your max heart rate for no more than two minutes…. This is followed by an active recovery of about three minutes. “The point is to challenge your heart rate at a high intensity level for a short duration,” commented Grounds.

Sprint as fast as you can on the treadmill for one to two minutes, working at 90 to 100% of your max heart rate. Then get off treadmill and do a two to three different exercises with light weights for your active recovery. Repeat.