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How to Tell...
Whether your goal
is to lose weight or simply improve your level of fitness, your
focus should be on the intensity of your exercise. The duration
is important too, but if you don't raise your heart rate, your
gains will be minimal.
Modern technology
has made it easy to measure your exertion in real time - with
a heart-rate monitor. The best monitors have a digital display
that you wear on your wrist and a transmitter that you wear
comfortably around your chest. The transmitter sends a wireless
signal to the watch, which continuously displays your pulse.
To determine
your target zone, you'll need to know your maximum heart rate.
A quick rule of thumb is to subtract your age from 220 if you
are a man, and from 226 if you are a woman. This number will
be within 10 beats of your max. Then, when you exercise, aim
for the following targets:
- 60% to 70%
of your maximum heart rate for weight loss
- 70% to 80%
to improve cardio fitness
- 80% to 90%
for your sprinting and interval workouts
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