That depends on your goals and your heart…
Target Heart Rate is the best way to make your training effective. Different zones can be used for different personal goals and different levels of fitness.
Your heart rate is the most accurate form of measuring exertion because it accounts for all aspects beyond the activity itself: the influence of stress, sleep, hunger, dehydration, temperature, and other factors that have an effect on your heart during exercise.
Find YOUR Zone
In order to make your workouts the most effective, you need to know what Zone reflects your own personal exercise goal. That will tell you where your Target Heart Rate should be during exercise, and then you can track it to make sure it gets there. You’ll need two pieces of information to find your Target Heart Rate: Resting Heart Rate and Age.
Use a Personalized Method
A VERY basic method to figuring out Target Heart Rate is 220 – Age x Zone%. This is mostly how the machines at the gym work, and also how the color zones are designated on your fitness tracking watch. However, they are often incorrect because not everyone at the same age is in the same physical condition. And your condition has a lot to do with how your heart works!
That’s why trainers use the Karvonen Formula, which will calculate YOUR personal Target Heart Rate. It starts with a number that is unique and important: the Heart Rate Reserve. Then we can multiply it by the Target Zone in which you want to exercise based on your goals.
The ZONES
| Training Zones | Description | % Heart Rate Max | Benefits/ Goals | Duration |
| 1 | Easy/Recovery | 50-59 | improves circulation, helps with heart recovery after exercise | 80-120 minutes |
| 2 | Weight Control | 60-69 | improves the body’s efficiency at converting fuel to energy | 40-80 minutes |
| 3 | Aerobic | 70-79 | improves aerobic conditioning and lung capacity, expands blood vessels | 10-40 minutes |
| 4 | Anaerobic | 80-89 | increases high speed endurance and maximum performance | 2-10 minutes |
| 5 | Max Effort | 90-100 | increases maximum performance and speed | Under 2 minutes |
Determine which Zone is your goal, then work towards it. Remember that we all have limitations, and that you can also increase your heart rate by making your exercise BIGGER, FASTER, or HEAVIER. Duration won’t necessarily get your heart rate higher, but it can be a factor in making your heart stronger overall.
Here is a sample that I made for myself with the online calculator. It gives my target heart range for each zone, which is quite handy once I know which Zones I want to work in! I might use different Zones for different workouts too.
The MATH (or skip to the online calculator below)
Terms to know before you begin
The FORMULA
The ONLINE CALCULATOR
If you don’t like math…but skip down to where it says Enter Data
Karvonen Heart Rate Calculator (topendsports.com)
Sweet and nutty. Good for any meal.
Heat oil on medium. Sauté barley until nutty brown. Add onion and potato. Stir 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, bring to boil, then cover, lower heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Check often to stir and add water if needed. Season with salt and pepper. When soft, remove from heat. Allow to sit 5-10 minutes to absorb any excess water.
Vegans: eat as is. Vegetarians: nice topped with a fried or poached egg. Carnivores can add chicken or steak.
Ingredients are flexible, that’s the beauty of this recipe! I used: cauliflower, carrots, sweet potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, frozen spinach, a little oil, almond milk and some spices (salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary). But you can use whatever you want!!!
Chop veggies, drizzle with oil, add optional spices and roast at 400F for 50-60 minutes, stirring and adding water midway. Put them in a blender or food processor, add liquid(s) and run until smooth. Spice to your taste.
Create a fitness goal and try some new recipes to help keep you on track!
CREATE 6-Jan Sweet Potato Bites 22-Jan Saucy Salmon MOVE 15-Jan Ditch the Scale 23-Jan Measure Body Composition at Home
Calculate at home, with just a soft tape measure and scientific calculator or online calculation links (below). Just be aware that these results will not be 100% accurate, as measurements can vary. Best to do it a few times for an average result.
Measurements (round any fractions to the nearest ½”)
N = Measurement around neck just below larynx protrusion.
W = Measurement around waist at thinnest part between bottom ribs and bellybutton. Breathe normally and measure on an exhale. Do not pull tight.
H = Measurement around hips, running tape over widest part of buttocks and keeping it parallel to floor. Do not wear any compressing fabric while taking measurements!!!
T = Measurement of height in bare feet with chin level to floor and gaze straight ahead. (T=tall)
1) Add W+H. Subtract N. This value will go in the first parenthesis of the equation.
2) Calculate, using a scientific calculator. (Don’t forget to put the parentheses around the values following the logs.) Do not use spaces, as I have done just for clarity.
163.205 log(W + H – N) – 97.684 log(T) – 78.387 = Female Body Fat %
Measurements (round any fractions to the nearest ½”)
N = Measurement around neck just below larynx protrusion.
W = Measurement around bellybutton. Breathe normally and measure on an exhale. Do not pull tight.
T = Measurement of height in bare feet with chin level to floor and gaze straight ahead. (T=tall)
1) Subtract W – N. This value will go in the first parenthesis of the equation.
2) Calculate, using a scientific calculator. (Don’t forget to put the parentheses around the values following the logs.) Do not use spaces, as I have done just for clarity.
86.010 log(W – N) – 70.041 log(T) + 36.76 = Male Body Fat %
If you don’t like doing your own math, use this automated calculator.
US Navy Calculator – Body Fat Calculator – BizCalcs.com
Rinse salmon and pat dry. Lay in oiled pan. Mix sauce ingredients into a consistent paste and spread over fish. Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour. Uncover and bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes, or grill about 8 minutes per side.
Weight isn’t the best measure of health. It’s the muscle to fat ratio that matters
Quick Weight Loss often means you’ve lost body fluid and lean tissue. (Bodies can’t really convert more than 2.5 lbs per week into energy, so anything more than that isn’t really ‘weight loss’ and will probably come back)
Body Composition Goals: Men less than 15% fat, women less than 25% fat
Tip 1 – Eat close to the source. The less processed your food is, the better. Shop the edges of the grocery store. Eat plenty of raw fruits and veggies.
Tip 2 – Break a sweat 2-3 times a week (20-30 min of whatever makes you happy)
Tip 3 – Build muscle tissue; it burns calories! Plus, you’ll look and feel healthier and stronger. Lift weights at least twice a week for 20-30 minutes to build and keep muscle.
Tip 4 – Be consistent!! If you skip a day, fine, but try to create a routine.
If you want to measure your body composition, there are several easy ways to do it. Talk to your trainer and set some goals for 2022!! Or try calculating it yourself using the directions in my blog:
Excerpted from Gamut, Issue 81, Dec 2021/Jan 2022 Author: Wayne Westcott, PhD.
Sweet, savory, simple…. and packed with nutrients.
Preheat oven to 400. Mix all ingredients and stir with a large spoon to fully coat all pieces. Spread on baking sheet and bake 25 minutes, stir, then bake another 20-30 minutes depending on how you like them.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! A few tasty posts this month, especially the holiday song! Thanks for following in 2021.
| CREATE | 13-Dec | Black Bean Stew |
| MOVE | 10-Dec | Study: Exercise Later in Life |
| SING | 17-Dec | Hangin’ Around the Fitness Room |
CAROL WING