A heart rate monitor is great because it tells you how hard you’re working.

It’s a doddle to use — put the strap around your chest and press a button on the watch and hey-presto, you can see how fast your heart is beating at a glance!

Why this is great for you and your body

It’s great for you because it means you can exercise in your comfort zone AND get fit at the same time. It’s great for your body because it means you won’t push it into overdrive and you won’t be so laid-back that you’re not getting a benefit.

In short — it’s great because you work at the right level for YOU… Continue reading “Why use a heart rate monitor?” →

I came across this exercise benefits list today, and as I’ve been meaning to compile one, I thought I’d post it up.

I’ll add to it as I come across other benefits. It’s a great motivator — to just read the list and see all those benefits for your time and effort…

The biggest one isn’t there so I’ll mention it now — feeling good :-) Continue reading “Exercise benefits list” →

If you’re trying to get fit, you need to know that your workouts are effective. You can do this by monitoring the intensity…

Either by watching how hard you’re breathing, monitoring heart rate or by going by how hard you feel you’re working (Perceived Rate of Exertion – PRE).

Monitoring your heart rate is the simplest and most effective way to make sure that the exercise you’re doing is at the right intensity for you. The other two are more subjective methods that rely on judgments. For example, a common maxim is to train so you’re slightly out of breath — so you can still just about talk but not sing :-) Continue reading “The secret to effective cardio” →