Over the last month, I feel as if I have hit a plateau. I have been training with Heather Hall and she always keeps me working hard… so I knew it wasn’t the working out that was lacking. I had a sneaking suspicion that it may have something to do with my nutrition (doesn’t it always?!). So, I made an appointment with Karen Kuzma, RD. She suggested she administer the test during one of the Wealth for my Health weekly meetings so the contestants knew what to expect. How fun!
The process is painless. I had to fast for four hours… and no exercise either. During the actual process I had my nose plugged (so no air can enter or escape) and I breathed in and out of a device. Pretty simple. Magically (well, I am sure there is some scientific process behind it…) it spit out a number. That number is how many calories I burn in a day, just living. I burn 2050 calories a day just by existing. Karen then took into account how active I am on a weekly basis. She asked me what my goals are (lose one pound a week, two pounds a week… etc.) and puts everything together. In the end, she was able to tell how many calories I should be eating each day to achieve my goals.
My goal was to lose 2 pounds a week. So, I should be consuming approximately 1870 calories a day. I am monitoring my calories (I am not usually a calorie counter) for a couple weeks just to make sure that consuming that amount produces a loss of two pounds. Karen said that there could be some slight variation… but overall, it’s fairly accurate.
So, if you have hit a plateau or are a “numbers” person – I would highly suggest getting this measurement done by the wonderful Karen Kuzma! Thanks Karen!
Showing posts with label Things We LOVE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Things We LOVE. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Things we LOVE. Polar Heart Rate Monitor
Polar F4 Heart Rate Monitor
Click here for product details.
Back in January when I began my health and fitness journey, I decided to purchase a heart rate monitor. My father had purchased one after his heart attack as a way of measuring his heart rate when exercising and it intrigued me. (It’s important for people who have had heart attacks to stay within certain limits)
I read up a bit on heart rate monitors and thought it would be interesting to use as a tool for my runs. I have run in the past, but I always tend to push too hard too soon. I am a long distance runner, not a sprinter. I understand that I need to pace myself if I want to run the distance. I knew this watch would tell me if I honestly was pushing myself too hard, or if I was just a weenie.
Turns out, I really was pushing too hard. The first day I stepped on the treadmill with it and jogged, it didn’t take much before my heart rate was in the high 190’s. If you read up a bit on heart rate training, you will learn that you should exercise anywhere between 60-80% of your Maximum Heart Rate. (To learn more about your Max Heart Rate, click here.) For me that would be keeping my heart rate around the 150’s-160’s. There is no way I can run for 30 minutes with my heart rate that high. I needed to slow down a bit. So, instead of feeling defeated and weak, I slowed down and worked my way up to running at higher speeds.
It was amazing to see how my heart rate steadily lowered itself in the following weeks. I was able to run at higher speeds on the treadmill while keeping my heart rate within the 80% zone. It was another way to measure my success – I knew my heart and body was getting stronger… I was able to run harder and longer without getting wiped out as quickly.
I didn’t want a watch with too many overwhelming bells and whistles. This watch measures your heart rate (it comes with a chest strap – once you put the chest strap on you can hardly tell it’s there), it measures calories burned (my favorite measure!) time spent exercising, time spent in the Target Heart Rate Zone (you can decide what that is for you based upon your goals) and a few other things. It’s very user friendly and moderately priced.
I feel naked without it when exercising. I have been known to drive back home after leaving the house without it.
I picked mine up at Target because a) Target is in close proximity to my home b) I always look for an excuse to go to Target c) It was one of the cheaper places to purchase it without having to pay for shipping
If you have any particular questions about the heart rate monitor – ask away! I would be more than happy to show you the watch and it’s features at one of our weekly meetings.
Click here for product details.
Back in January when I began my health and fitness journey, I decided to purchase a heart rate monitor. My father had purchased one after his heart attack as a way of measuring his heart rate when exercising and it intrigued me. (It’s important for people who have had heart attacks to stay within certain limits)
I read up a bit on heart rate monitors and thought it would be interesting to use as a tool for my runs. I have run in the past, but I always tend to push too hard too soon. I am a long distance runner, not a sprinter. I understand that I need to pace myself if I want to run the distance. I knew this watch would tell me if I honestly was pushing myself too hard, or if I was just a weenie.
Turns out, I really was pushing too hard. The first day I stepped on the treadmill with it and jogged, it didn’t take much before my heart rate was in the high 190’s. If you read up a bit on heart rate training, you will learn that you should exercise anywhere between 60-80% of your Maximum Heart Rate. (To learn more about your Max Heart Rate, click here.) For me that would be keeping my heart rate around the 150’s-160’s. There is no way I can run for 30 minutes with my heart rate that high. I needed to slow down a bit. So, instead of feeling defeated and weak, I slowed down and worked my way up to running at higher speeds.
It was amazing to see how my heart rate steadily lowered itself in the following weeks. I was able to run at higher speeds on the treadmill while keeping my heart rate within the 80% zone. It was another way to measure my success – I knew my heart and body was getting stronger… I was able to run harder and longer without getting wiped out as quickly.
I didn’t want a watch with too many overwhelming bells and whistles. This watch measures your heart rate (it comes with a chest strap – once you put the chest strap on you can hardly tell it’s there), it measures calories burned (my favorite measure!) time spent exercising, time spent in the Target Heart Rate Zone (you can decide what that is for you based upon your goals) and a few other things. It’s very user friendly and moderately priced.
I feel naked without it when exercising. I have been known to drive back home after leaving the house without it.
I picked mine up at Target because a) Target is in close proximity to my home b) I always look for an excuse to go to Target c) It was one of the cheaper places to purchase it without having to pay for shipping
If you have any particular questions about the heart rate monitor – ask away! I would be more than happy to show you the watch and it’s features at one of our weekly meetings.
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