Your Health

Getting The Most Out Of Your Workouts

Posted: 9/30/2011

During exercise, a heart rate monitor can help to alert people if they are exercising below or above their recommended personal limits.

(NAPSI)—When it comes to exercise, there is no reason to overdo it.

According to Dr. Henry Lodge, M.D., associate clinical professor of medicine at ColumbiaUniversity MedicalCenter and co-author of “Younger Next Year,” many mistakenly believe that unless they exercise to the point of exhaustion or illness, their time is wasted. And even those who vary light and strenuous workouts are often confused when it comes to identifying the exercise level that’s right for them.

Aside from some obvious indicators—level of sweat, ability to speak, etc.—the most accurate way to gauge exercise intensity is by monitoring heart rate.

“A heart rate monitor tells you how many times a minute your heart beats,” said Lodge.

A well-known tool among athletes for more than 30 years, heart rate monitors are just as useful for everyday exercisers who want to listen to their bodies’ cues.

Using a heart rate monitor provides motivating feedback before, during and even after exercise. While fitness goals are rarely achieved overnight, seeing data and measuring progress can help keep a person on the right path.

Heart rate monitors by Polar USA also display calories burned during exercise.

Lodge says that targeted guidance is another critical factor to a good workout.

Besides consulting a physician before beginning a fitness program, take advantage of free online training advice. For example, www.polarpersonaltrainer.com offers customized workout programs based on individual goals—and the ability to track workout data. Used with a heart rate monitor, these programs are loaded onto a wrist unit and let you know if exercise meets personal limits.

For more information, visit www.polarusa.com/whyHR.