Intensity!
Marc, January 14th, 2010 
Intensity is a very important factor in your fitness program. Push too hard you’ll burn out or get hurt. Don’t push hard enough and you’ll get little to no benefit. How are you supposed to know if you are doing it right? There are two basic ways to tell whether you are exercising with the right level of intensity. You can tell by heart rate and by how you feel.
When you workout you want to feel like you are working out. That means that at some level what you are doing should seem like work. Don’t get me wrong, monotonous drudgery is not the goal. It means that your body should feel like it is outside its comfort zone. You want to expand your capacity by challenging your comfortable limits.
As a rule you should always be able to hold a conversation at exercise levels of intensity. At the higher levels you may not want to though. Your breathing will be accelerated and you should feel warm when you are getting a good work out but you should never feel dizzy nor be in pain.
Heart rate monitors are a great tool to check your intensity level. In order to get the most out of your cardiovascular/aerobic exercise, it’s important that you keep your heart rate in the training zone. Find your ideal heart rate zone here.
Working out means expanding your capabilities. Don’t avoid the “working” part. Choosing an activity that fits your sense of fun and your resources is vital for maintaining intensity over time. Once you find something you love well enough to work at it, you’ll find yourself meeting your goals and it won’t be work at all.
Categories: Evaluating, Exercising best Exercise, hear rate, intensity, lose weight, monitor, Personal Training, weight loss
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