Quote:
Originally Posted by 6710
I also don't understand the don't exercise thing. What if your heart rate is above 70% (forgive me but I'm not ever sure how you are supposed to measure your heart rate)? I was walking at a track, about 5 miles, 5Xs a week. My loss was doing okay but not as good as I thought I would. Last week because I was feeling poorly I didn't walk, I stepped on the scale this morning and was down 3 lbs in 3 days, I was shocked. It doesn't make sense to me. What exactly are they concerned is going to happen? Loss of Muscle? Going into starvation mode? For reasons out of my control I will not be able to walk this week either. Will this actually help or hurt me to take two weeks off? Sorry about all the questions, but I have been wondering, and talking to the coach doesn't seem to answer my questions completely.
To measure your heart rate either use a heart rate monitor (the easier way) or here is how:
Measuring Heart Rate
Measuring Heart RateYour heart rate can be taken at any spot on the body at which an artery is close to the surface and a pulse can be felt. The most common places to measure heart rate using the palpation method is at the wrist (radial artery) and the neck (carotid artery). Other places sometimes used are the elbow (brachial artery) and the groin (femoral artery). You should always use your fingers to take a pulse, not your thumb, particularly when recording someone else's pulse, as you can sometimes feel your own pulse through your thumb.
Manual Method
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Measuring Heart RateCarotid Pulse (neck) - To take your heart rate at the neck, place your first two fingers on either side of the neck. Be careful not too press to hard, then count the number of beats for a minute.
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Radial Pulse (wrist) - place your index and middle fingers together on the opposite wrist, about 1/2 inch on the inside of the joint, in line with the index finger. Once you find a pulse, count the number of beats you feel within a one minute period.
You can estimate the per minute rate by counting over 10 seconds and multiplying this figure by 6, or count over 15 seconds and multiply by 4, or over 30 seconds and doubling the result. There are obvious potential errors by using this shorthand method. If you have a heart rate monitor, this will usually give you an accurate reading.
here is how you figure out the percentage you are in. First figure out your Maximum Heart Rate
Maximum Heart Rate = 220 - AGE
so if 100% is your MHR, multiply your HR by 100 and dive it by your MHR
NOW, here is WHY IP wants you to stay in the LOWER end of your HR
Healthy Heart Zone
* This zone is
50 to 60% of your maximum heart rate. This is an easy and comfortable zone to exercise in.
* You will be able to carry on a full conversation in this zone, although you may be breathing a little heavier than usual.
* Walkers are often in this zone unless they press themselves to walk faster. Fitness walkers may alternate days of walking in this zone with days of exercising in the higher heart rate zones, to give a recovery/easy day.
* Your workout in this zone is less intense and won't give the most cardiorespiratory training benefits. But studies have shown that it works to help decrease body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol.
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In this zone, the body derives it energy by burning 10% carbohydrates, 5% protein and 85% fat.
* Healthy Heart Walking Workout
Fitness Zone
* This zone is from
60 to 70% of your maximum heart rate.
* You will be breathing heavier but will still be able to speak in short sentences.
* You burn more calories per minute than in the healthy heart zone because the exercise is a little more intense - you are going faster and therefore covering more distance. The calories burned depend on the distance you cover and your weight more than any other factors.
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In this zone, your body fuels itself with 85% fat, 5% protein, and 10% carbohydrate.
* You get the same health benefits and fat-burning benefits as the healthy heart zone.
* Fat-Burning Walking Workout
Aerobic Zone
* This zone is from
70-80% of your maximum heart rate.
* You will be breathing very hard and able only to speak in short phrases.
* This is the zone to aim for when training for endurance. It spurs your body to improve your circulatory system by building new blood vessels, and increases your heart and lung capacity.
* Aiming for 20 to 60 minutes in this zone is believed to give the best fitness training benefits.
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You burn 50% of your calories from fat , 50% from carbohydrate, and less than 1% from protein.<---
notice the difference? the goal is to burn more fat on IP
* With the increase in intensity, you burn more calories in the same amount of time, as you are covering more distance in that same time. Calories burned depend most on distance and your weight. If you go further in the same time, you burn more calories per minute.
* You may not be able to achieve this heart rate by walking, you may have to use racewalking technique or switch to jogging to get into this heart rate zone.
* Aerobic Walking Workout
Anaerobic Zone - Threshold Zone
* This zone is
80 to 90% of your maximum heart rate.
* You will be unable to speak except a single, gasped word at a time.
* This intense exercise will improve the amount of oxygen you can consume - your VO2 maximum.
* This exertion level takes you to the limit where your body begins to produce lactic acid. Racewalkers use this zone to build their ability to go even faster.
* Workouts in this heart rate zone should be in the 10 to 20 minute range, or part of an interval training workout.
* You burn more calories per minute than with the lower heart rate workouts, as you are covering more distance per minute.
*
The body burns 85% carbohydrates, 15% fat and less than 1% protein in this zone. <---
IP is already very low carb... so imagine doing this to yourself
* You may not be able to achieve this heart rate by walking, you may need to use the racewalking technique or switch to jogging/running.
* Anaerobic Threshold Walking Workout
Red-Line Zone
* The top zone is from
90 to 100% of your maximum heart rate. You can't go any higher, and most people can't stay in this zone for more than a few minutes.
* You will be unable to speak except for gasping single words.
* This zone should only be used for short bursts during interval training, where you work intensely for a minute and then drop back down to a lower intensity for several minutes, and repeat.
* You should consult with your doctor to ensure you can work out at such a high heart rate safely.
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While you burn lots of calories per minute in this zone, 90% of them are carbohydrates, 10% fats, and less than 1% protein.
Hope that answers your questions on that
