Use Your Heart Wisely During Exercise
Knowing your heart rate is crucial to maximizing your fitness program and achieving your health and fitness goals, and makes heart healthy exercise more effective and time efficient, safer, and equally as important, much more fun. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that for heart health, you should monitor your heart rate during all exercise to ensure the appropriate amount of exertion for each individual. The Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) says, “Heart rate is the primary guide for aerobic exercise intensity.”
People with various exercise motivations, from those with medical conditions to those seeking to lose weight or improve sports performance, benefit by effectively utilizing their heart during exercise. Research has proven that it is important to do more than just “move” or slightly raise your heart rate above a resting rate when you exercise. Many individuals today are exercising with one or more cardiac risk factors, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol, making it challenging to exercise safely. Finally, a “beating heart” is a crucial indicator for many heart patients who have been instructed by their physician to monitor heart rhythm changes, and to other individuals who may be unaware that they have a heart rhythm abnormality. Individuals benefit tremendously by monitoring their heart rate continuously during exercise and staying within the ranges recommended by their physician or the ACSM.
LifeSpan is committed to offering “heart healthy” products to help you live healthy. Our MyBeat heart rate ring fits on your finger and continuously monitors your heart rate. LifeSpan treadmills, ellipticals and exercise bikes include one or more of the following heart rate features: 1) contact pulse grips which read your heart rate from your hands, 2) chest strap receiver to support wearing a chest strap to monitor your heart rate, and 3) MyZone heart rate exercise programs.
Calculating Your Target Heart Rate
We’ve added a cool new calculator to the Weight Loss folder on our website, www.lifespanfitness.com, to help you quickly and easily find your own target heart rate. Once you’ve calculated your heart rate, use the target heart chart to guide you in exercising, and make the most effective use of your heart for your fitness level. Check Heart Rate.
Tags: Exercise Heart