How can the heart be monitored?

That helps my heart feel better.......

What you NEED to know about your Heart...                 9.12.12

The lub dub in your chest is a major player for personal health, so if you want to be healthy in the least amount of time (truly its a lifestyle) or lose fat off your body, well its time to start paying attention to that HEART!  Understanding the science about the inside parts of what makes us human is important to being successful with accomplishment of any health related goal. 

Fat burning Zone, Training Zone, Aerobic Zone, well they are all the same and make up a person’s specific Target Heart Rate Zone. I should also mention it is the most effective way to train the body during aerobic physical activity.  Your heart rate matters and should be monitored to maximize your workout so you know when to kick in the intensity and when to pull back & allow your beats per minute to slow down (yeah, its ok to walk & be training effectively).

Its all about the numbers here, keep that in mind when training for anything (just maintaing a healthy life, running a 5K, or when trying to lose weight).  I train my clients to be smarter and move more effectively.  The first lesson is to use a heart rate monitor for training, especially for burning body fat because it provides immediate feedback for results driven training.

A simple HR Monitor (I recommend Polar Brand) can be purchased for under $35 & can be used in a pool too!  Playing games with your heart can lead to a more rewarding workout, as you become smarter about what is taking place inside your body, your results will start happening much faster!

Healthy body weight MAGIC!

How to lose weight, healthy style.....                                   9.7.12

As a Wellness Coach & certified Personal Trainer I am constantly assessing a persons body fat % which is 1 of 5 components of a persons’ health-related fitness.  To achieve an ideal body weight through balancing your body composition (fat to muscle ratio, again 1 of the 5 parts of health-related fitness) try combination training with your other components of fitness every time your workout, exercise, or perform physical activity.
Many variables factor into a persons ideal body weight or more importantly body fat %.  I have identified 4 MAJOR players in the role to improve body weight to be in a healthy range... these are the first steps to identify the number one way to lose weight, influence your metabolism in a health concsious way!! 
 SLEEP - the idea is to regulate your metabolism through patterns or regular doses of zzz
Hydration - think water, water, water for everything you drink!  Its that simple.
Physical Activity - Diversify & practice Muscular strength & endurance, flexibility,& cardio
Nutrition - Ideally eating 5-7 feedings will have the greatest impact on your metabolism & 1/2 o                what you eat should be fruits & veggies.
The best way to fire up your calorie burning furnace is through balance with a patterns & routines that encourage maximum results.  With physical activity, combination style exercises that take you from training cardio, to strength & endurance.    By focusing on 3 of your 5 components your body has nothing to do but increase that heart rate to fire up that METABOLISM during each time you exercise. 
For body weight their is no quick fixes, truly the solution is a lifestyle that supports as much movement as possible.  Making daily choices that have positive outcomes will continue the habits necessary to live well.  

Your Heart matters.......

        2.14.12 (Tues)

Made up of atriums & ventricles the human heart pumps basically vitamin, minerals, & water to all parts of the body, especially our vital organs in the form of blood.  On valentines day the heart is a symbol of love and not shape like the strongest muscle in the body.  Well, your heart does matter because if it stops, well you stop & some times its a slow painful process, yikes!

The heart should be monitored for physical activity that you are trying to provide results from your type of movement (exercises).  For example, a goal was to decrease body fat, monitoring your heart rate is critical to get fast results.  Understanding your target heart rate zone & applying specific beats per min. for a specific amount of time will not only yield fast results, but be the most effective tool for gaging your physical activity. 

How can you calculate yours?  Its a couple simple math equations......

 Subtract your age from 220 to get your Maximum Heart Rate:
          Example             220 - 34 years young :) = 186 (beats per minute)

Take your Max HR and multiply by both 60% & 80%, this gives you your Target HR Zone for training.
                        Example            186 X .6 = 112
                                                  186 X .8 = 149

A 34 year young (male or female) target heart rate zone is 115 bpm - 150 bpm

How to monitor you heart rate while moving?  A heart rate monitor is a must & relatively cheap now a days ($30) compared to other fitness equipment.

Now what to do with this range?  Well, play games with it and have fun, shoot your heart rate high & allow it to fall & understand that moving your beats per minute throughout that range (and above too!) will give you an understanding that you always don’t have to be moving very fast to be getting benefits from you physical activity.  A good example is to do a combo of walking & running (some call it intervals) to see how your heart responds to that.  Hell, heart rate monitors are water proof for the pool & great to be out hiking or mtn. biking a trail!

New Year, but a conitnuation of life....

                   1.7.12

Tons of Americans at this time of year want to make a change in their life's habits.  Hence a new years Resolution has become hot topic conversations for media, friends, and family. 

The Top 4 New Years Resolution in America are: 
 Lose Weight (how bout not have a crappy diet in the 1st place?)
Workout more (get off the treadmill & educate yourself with knowledge or a trainer to be more effective with your physical activity)
Drink less Alcohol (directly prevents 1 & 2 from happening, yes really)
Quit Smoking (yes, put down the crack pipe that isn’t health either, LOL!!!!)

Resolutions seem bizarre to me, it is something for the weak to discuss, and gives people something ‘else’ to talk about.  In reality, people should make small changes for a positive, healthier lifestyle.  A majority of people I encounter are nieve to what makes them the way they are.  The daily choices of what they do from the time they wake to bed (oh yeah, if you aren’t sleeping 7-10 hours a night, don’t expect to lose weight effectively either).

I just spent $70 at a natural foods store on only a handful of items (most will last a month).  A conversation that was recently engaging had a person debating with me about how expensive all my food is, plus natural & organic stuff is too.......well even more EXPENSIVE are hospitals, Dr visits, prescription meds, HEALTH INS., & time lost at work because of being sick @ home!!!!! 

I didn’t have one Dr. bill or Prescription Med in 2011 & Didn’t miss any work either.  I know what works for me & that is to stay clear of our health care systems because they truly set up to make money, but more importantly be reactive to a problem, not prevent it in the first place. 

My way of life is a FULL PROACTIVE approach to NEVER get sick.   Through a balance of my lifestyle with being physically active, cooking for my family with whole foods using pure ingredients, & was my hands with soap all the time too which is the easiest way to stop the spread of viruses and bacteria entering my body. 

That helps my HEART feel better...

What you NEED to know about your Heart... and getting a Target Heart Rate Zone                  11.7.11


Fat burning Zone, Training Zone, Aerobic Zone, well they are all the same and make up a person’s specific Target Heart Rate Zone. I should also mention it is the most effective way to train the body during aerobic physical activity.  Your heart matters and should be monitored to maximize your workout so you know when to kick in the intensity and when to pull back & allow your beats per minute to slow down (yeah, its ok to walk & be training effectively).

How can you calculate yours?  Its a couple simple math equations......

 Subtract your age from 220 to get your Maximum Heart Rate:
          Example             220 - 34 = 186 (beats per minute)

Take your Max HR and multiply by both 60% & 80%, this gives you your Target HR Zone for training.
                        Example            186 X .6 = 112
                                                  186 X .8 = 149

3. Target Heart Rate Training Zone Range is for a 34 year old   is 115-150 bpm


Its all about the numbers here, keep that in mind when training for anything (just maintaing a healthy life, running a 5K, or when trying to lose weight).  I train my clients to be smarter and move more effectively.  The first lesson is to use a heart rate monitor for training, especially for burning body fat because it provides immediate feedback for results driven training.

A simple HR Monitor (I recommend Polar Brand) can be purchased for under $35 & can be used in a pool too!