Technology has come a long way since the introduction of heart rate monitors back in the early 80?s. Now in the high-techest of health clubs you will find cardio equipment with the capability of taking your heart rate by merely placing hands on the attached sensors.

Life Fitness cardio machines actually link up with Polar Heart Rate monitors, so that all you have to wear is the chest strap and you can read your heart rate on the display screen.

Some machines can even monitor the speed and resistance or level of incline based on your heart rate and the pre-set program you chose at the beginning of your workout.

This is not only very impressive, but also highly accurate, a lot more so than the old method of placing your fingers on the wrist to measure your radial pulse or on the neck to measure your carotid pulse, where either one could be as much as 40 bpm off.

Nowadays, personal heart rate monitors can even measure the amount of calories that we burn in a particular session? but is it as simple as ?Calories in vs Calories out? in our grand quest to lose weight?

If we were to believe this to be true, we would also have to believe that all calories, like men, are created equal, which they are not (but men are). All calories burned would have to come from our fat stores, which, unfortunately, they do not.

If our ?In Calories? come in the many forms of Carbohydrates, Protein and Fats, why would we assume that our ?Out Calories? would all come from fat?

Our energy to exercise comes from two main sources (carbohydrates and fats) and depending on the intensity and amount of time we actually spend exercising, will determine where our source of fuel that we use for exercise comes from.

For example, a BodyPump class burns a maximum of 560 Calories. Should we assume that they all came from fat and that our hips and thighs are thinner? No! That burning sensation you get, if you?re doing it right, in our muscles as we are in a BodyPump class, comes from breaking down carbohydrates without sufficient oxygen, which is why at the end of each lap or session we are gasping for air or oxygen.

If we are doing a spinning class or Les Mills RPM Class, where do you think the fuel for our exercise is coming from? Do you think it is coming from our fat stores? Well, again, if you are working hard, and doing what the instructors are telling you to do, then it is way too intense for us to burn fat for fuel, and so again, we switch to carbohydrates.

Now if we were to go for a walk on the treadmill or along the beach for an hour or so, the fuel that we would be using, would in fact be a combination of carbohydrate and fat, again, depending in time and intensity, but eventually the longer you walk, the more fat you will burn.

So, by now you?re probably asking yourself the question, why do I do all these other things and why don?t I just walk? It?s a good question and one which I will endeavor to answer next week?

So stick with the Post to keep Posted on how to keep fit, healthy and well.
Your PT,
Darren
Darren Hancock (Bach. Exercise Science)
Exercise and Lifestyle Coach, RPM Fitness Centre