Heart Rates

I've been a big fan of heart rate monitors (HRMs) since I started exercising back in the early 2000s.  The watch I've used the majority of that time is the Polar F6, a model that they don't carry any longer.  When I do get around to replacing it, I'm probably going to go with the FT60.  It's hard to justify getting it now, when the watch I've got works perfectly well for it's intended purposes.  And I don't really need all the bells and whistles that come with some of these watches.  I primarily use the HRM to track the level of effort I'm making during my workout.  It can be tough to get a read on how much I'm pushing myself across a range of activities, or even across a range of elliptical machines.  I figure I can refer to the watch to get a read on how high my heart rate is and, related to this, approximately how many calories I'm burning.

I don't rely on the measures I get from the equipment.  I've seen dramatically variable numbers, generally over-estimating the number of calories burned.  And then there are the times when I'm not using a machine for my workout (like when lifting weights).  Now, my trainer is "of the firm opinion that those Polar watches (and many cardio units) dramatically over-estimate your calorie burn, just to make you feel good, like you "accomplished something".  Only problem is, I've known tons of people who "burn a thousand calories an hour in Zumba class", and remain very, very fat.  Hmmm, makes you think.  Get the cardio done, use it as a measurable tool for progression, but don't marry yourself to the idea that it's going to counterbalance your diet THAT much."

Now I, too, am VERY suspicious of someone who claims to burn over a thousand calories in a group fitness class.  I get very annoyed with group fitness instructors who tell people that they're probably burning 1000 calories in that one class - it leads to overly high expectations about results from the class and can "encourage" people to over-eat outside of class.  I used to teach hip-hop aerobics and would maybe burn 600 when I was teaching.  If I was just taking the class, I'd be lucky if I burned 450.  I wouldn't be making as much of an effort while taking the class, because I wasn't needing to talk while moving or just moving as much.

One thing to keep in mind is that the number of calories burned is going to be influenced by the amount of weight that's being carried around to begin with.  I've noticed that I'm supposedly burning more calories during an hour now than I was when I weighed 10 pounds less.  I'm moving more "fluff" for that hour and my heart rate goes higher and stayed higher under that extra exertion.  So two people could be doing the exact same activity and ultimately have significantly different calorie burns.

I think the actual number of calories burned doesn't really matter.  My trainer's warning me to not "marry [myself] to the idea that it's going to counterbalance [my] diet" because I was sharing my frustration about the nutritionist's recommended 1200 calorie/day diet and how I'd only be having 600 calories/day after burning the other half by exercising.  

I use the numbers as a way of structuring my overall exercise efforts.  I know I've put in sufficient effort when I see a heart rate at a certain elevation and a calorie burn reach a certain point.  I can then modify the numbers that I'm aiming for, just as I would modify my caloric intake as my weight changes.  I used to aim for 300 calories/workout, back when I was just starting to exercise.  Now that I'm in better shape and pushing myself further, I aim for 600 calories/workout and try to workout 5 times/week.  Am I really burning 600 calories with each workout?  I couldn't tell you.  But I can say that it does work as a motivator, a number to aim for with each session, a way of comparing my efforts across sessions.  Now, if I used it as permission to go and eat 600 calories of chocolate afterward....

Food Log:

• Meal 1: 
• 3 egg whites
• 30g dry cream of rice (cooked in water)
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• Meal 2: 
• 0% flavored Chobani Greek Yogurt
• Meal 3: 
• 3 oz chicken
• Green beans
• 1/2c cooked rice
• Meal 4: 
• 3 oz chicken
• Green beans
• 1/2c cooked rice
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• Meal 5: 
• 0% flavored Chobani Greek Yogurt
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Exercise:

• Time:  60 minutes on elliptical
• Level:  Level 1 for 1 minute; Level 4 for 58 minutes; Level 1 for 1 minute
• Calories:  750
• Average HR:  157
• Distance:  5.15 miles

Weigh-In:  150.3 / 150.0