Put Your Heart Into It

You're panting, sweating, your legs feel like they're going to give out and you're cursing your trainer. You are putting your whole effort into this workout.... Or, are you? How are you measuring your effort level? To get results, you have to be outside of your comfort zone; this is not negotiable. But, how do you know what that zone looks and feels like?

There are a couple of different ways to gauge your efforts. The first way is using the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale. This is using a scale of 1-10 to give a number to your effort level:
1: very light activity - watching television
2-3:  light activity - leisurely walk
4-6:  moderate activity - could exercise at this level for hours, easy to hold a conversation
7-8:  vigorous activity - working hard, out of breath, can only speak a sentence
9:  very hard activity - unable to maintain for long period of time, short of breath, can barely speak a word
10:  maximum effort - feels impossible to continue activity, almost on the verge of being sick

The key word here that can get you into trouble is "perceived;" what I perceive to be extreme exertion might be different from what you perceive. Someone new to exercise might not know what maximum effort really feels like. That said, the scale can be useful to some of these people. It can help to get you in tune to your body, your breathing, and let you focus on how you're feeling throughout the workout, without having to think about numbers. But, this will only get you so far...

To maximize your gym time once you become a bit more fit and experienced, I highly recommend making an investment in a good heart rate monitor to gauge your efforts. This is a training tool that is worn like a wristwatch. What makes it so useful is that when worn with the corresponding chest strap, you can actually see what your heart rate is. The chest strap wirelessly transmits your heart rate to the watch. No hiding from the truth here! You can very quickly assess whether you can keep going at your current pace, or if you should pick up in the intensity.

When shopping for a heart rate monitor, I recommend investing in a model that allows you to input your personal information, such as your age, height, weight, and gender. Since all of these factors influence the parameters of the difference training zones and your caloric burn, those that capture this specific information can give you the most accurate information.

I have broken up with several heart rate monitors, but have finally found the love of my life! A model that I have been using for almost 2 years now has all of the afore-mentioned features, and also offers a very intuitive, user-friendly interface can be found here: http://www.polarusa.com/us-en/products/get_active/fitness_crosstraining/FT4. A bonus feature of this model is that most of the cardio machines at the gym will pick up the wireless transmitter and display your heart rate on the machine's monitor. You can certainly shop around (don't forget about eBay!), but I encourage you to choose a model that allows you to personalize. This can help you reach your goals even faster!