A heart rate monitor is invaluable in getting better results from your exercise. The theory is simple, there is a certain heart rate range that results in your body burning fat to meet the energy needs (fat burning zone). Beyond that stage, it feeds on the glucose in your blood, which is the readily available fuel (aerobic zone). Once you cross a threshold, the body cannot replenish the glucose as fast as you can burn in (anaerobic zone). To get maximum benefit out of the exercise, you therefore need to always have your heart rate in the fat burning or aerobic zone.
I wanted to test this theory out and asked a colleague to get me a heart rate monitor. I read the reviews on the Net and learnt that the Polar brand is the most well known and after much research, I settled for the the Polar F6.
The monitor consists of two components
1) A sensor+transmitter that you strap onto your chest
2) A receiver that you wear on your wrist like a watch
The sensor has electrodes that monitor the electrical signals that determine your heart rate and send this continuously to the receiver.
To start off, you input details about yourself like age, weight etc. This is used to calculate your Maximum Heart Rate (usually 220-your age). In exercise mode, you can specify the zone that you would like to maintain your heart rate in. There is an automatic mode, where you can set it to Easy (fat burning), Moderate (Aerobic) or Hard (Anaerobic). You can also set an alarm that beeps whenever you move out of this zone. As you are exercising, the monitor also keeps track of the calories burnt (using the heart rate and the body weight, I think) and the percentage of fat calories.
Before I started using it, I was never sure of what my heart rate during exercise was as stopping to measure it resulted in a break and loss of rhythm. I was also kind of worried that I wasn't exercising hard enough. Once I started using this, all my doubts were cleared immediately. I found that I had a resting heart rate was between 65-70. When walking briskly, I was able to get it into the 130-140 bpm zone. Jogging takes my heart rate over 160 bpm. The maximum I have been able to take it up is 183 bpm.
What I find invaluable is the direct and continuous feedback. If I find myself going above the zone, I can immediately slow down a little and allow it to get back into the zone. Earlier, I was always reluctant to slow down. This will definitely allow me to exercise longer, I think. Another benefit that I see is the feedback on my overall fitness level. As I get fitter, my heart rate at a given level of exercise intensity should trend lower and this will allow me to measure it.
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