Adventure Doc Heart Rate

The secret to training your cardiovascular (heart and lungs) system is to keep track of your heart rate. This is also the secret to losing weight. Your heart rate can be felt at the inside of your wrists, on the same side that your thumb is on. It will feel like a little throb. The number of times you feel that throb or pulse, is your heart rate. I usually take my heart rate for 30 seconds and multiply that by 2, to get my minute heart rate. So, if my pulse is beating 60 times in 30 seconds, my minute heart rate is 120.

Your body uses different things for fuel, depending on how hard it is working. Fat is the most effective fuel and you body has the most of it. Sugar is the other fuel. Your body doesn’t have a lot of this. Having your heart rate too high burns sugar, not fat. You want to burn fat. Back to target heart rate. To determine the maximum heart rate that your body should be at, take the number 220 and subtract your age. Your body begins to burn fat at around 70% of your maximum heart rate. So, take 220 and subtract your age, let’s say 45 years old. That is 175. This is your maximum heart rate. Now, let’s figure when you start burning fat. That is at 70% of your max heart rate. 175 X’s 0.70 is 122 beats per minute. To burn fat, you should have your heart rate at 122.

The longer you can keep your heart rate at 122, the longer you are burning fat. If you can get your minute heart rate to 70% of your maximum, you are in the “fat burning zone”. If you heart rate gets above the zone, you will begin to burn sugar and not fat. The longer you can keep it in this zone, the better. I advise measuring your heart rate a few times during your exercise, to make sure you are not too low or too high. If your heart rate gets too low, get it going a bit more. Too fast means you should slow down. This simple formula and knowing your heart rate ensures that you are getting the most out of your exercise time.

I am a runner and I love to run. Not everybody likes running. Running is hard. It requires a lot of physical ability and you have to be in good shape to do it. There is a difference between being a runner and feeling that you have to go out and run a marathon. Some people think that running is hard on your body. I agree. Running can be hard on your knees, hips and ankles. That is because it identifies the weaknesses and begins to strengthen them. The way I help make non-runners into runners is to start slowly.

This is probably the best overall workout for your body. Swimming works on heart, lungs, legs, arms and back! That is a lot of “bang for your buck”. Most areas have a swimming pool for people that live in the area. Access is not very expensive, especially at places like a YMCA or public pool.

Cycling works your legs and lungs. Cycling does not require an expensive bike, but it does require a helmet if you are riding outside. Stationary bicycles are great, because you can set it up in front of your television or read while you are riding. When the weather gets bad, I ride a stationary bike, indoors. Even riding for 20 minutes a few days per week will make a huge difference in your health and attitude. Cycling is one of my favorite sports and a really good way to keep your heart rate in that “zone” to burn fat. If you are riding outside, make sure to watch for cars and try to ride in an area that does not have a lot of traffic or has a bike path. Interval training can be done on a bicycle, too. Read the section on running to learn more about interval training.

Swimming can also include water aerobics, which are also very good. In fact, the NFL uses water aerobics to help keep their players in condition. The thing that is great about water aerobics is that there is no impact. This means it is great for people with joint problems, especially knees and hips.

People with arthritis can benefit from low impact exercise, such as water aerobics. This allows them to get a good cardiovascular workout and not hurt their joints. In fact, the warm water of the pool feels pretty good, too. Many times I have been getting over an injury and used water aerobics and swimming to keep my cardiovascular system strong, until my muscles could heal or get stronger.

Start with walking. My favorite running saying is, “do the distance and the speed will come”. This means don’t worry that you are slow or cannon run the entire distance. That is not a big deal. The big deal is that you are out there, trying and getting in better shape than sitting on the couch. So, start with walking. 15 minutes is a good place to start. Get very comfortable with this walking, so that you can walk at a brisk pace and still not be out of breath.

Probably the only thing that is not good about swimming and water aerobics is that it is not considered “weight bearing” exercise. While this is good, if you have knee or hip problems, it is bad for osteoporosis prevention. The weight bearing exercises, such as walking, running and weight lifting strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis. Swimming and water aerobics do not help prevent this.

For people who ride a indoor/stationary bike, you can do intervals based on time. Try to ride at a normal pace and increase your efforts (increase the tension or peddle faster) for a few minutes, then go back to your normal pace while you recover.

A good way to begin to build up your walking is with “intervals”. On your usual walking route, I am sure there are trees, stop signs and other markers you can use. An interval is when you pick two markers, and walk as faster than you normally do between the two marks you choose. After you get to the marker you selected to end the interval, go back to your normal pace. I like to use telephone poles or mail boxes. When I get to a pole that I selected to be my interval beginning, I pick up my pace and hold it to the marker I have picked to stop. Then I go back to my normal pace. After I have been moving at my normal pace for a few minutes and I recover, I try another interval. This is how you get a bit faster. This is how I advise people to go from walking to running. Set out for a walk on your usual path, and run from one mailbox to the next one. Then slow back to a walk, but keep moving. Eventually, make each interval a bit longer.

Anytime you feel like you are getting a pulled muscle or a sore spot, stop running until it goes away. My rule is that I wait until it feels back to normal, then I wait 2 more days to make sure.

After a while, the intervals will become longer and longer, and the walking less and less. Soon, you’ll be running your old walking route! When you want to run a longer distance, this is how to begin. Remember, “do the distance and the speed will come”. Start out on a longer walk, and then being to add intervals. It is a long process, but very rewarding. Remember to do a few stretches after your run, to keep the muscles from getting sore the next day.