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Health & Fitness Tools

• Exercise Heart Rate
• Determining Calorie Needs For Weight Loss
• Eating Tips For Weight Loss

Downloads

• How To Choose a Personal Trainer (From the American Council on Exercise)
• Active Seniors Enjoy Life More (From the American Council on Exercise)
• Exercise Your Way to Lower Blood Pressure (From the American College of Sports Medicine)
• Eat Well to Stay Motivated and Energized (From the American Council on Exercise)
• Monitoring Exercise Intensity Using Perceived Exertion (From the American Council on Exercise)

Determining Target Heart Rate -- KARVONEN FORMULA

You can calculate your training heart rate using the Karvonen Formula, which is a more accurate way of determining your training heart rate zones than the old, more familiar way of simply subtracting your age from 220 to determine your maximum heart rate. This formula accounts for your resting heart rate, giving you a more accurate target training zone.

1. Resting Heart Rate (RHR) = your pulse at rest (The best time to get a true resting heart rate is first thing in the morning, before you get out of bed. Take your pulse for one full minute (starting your count with "0") three mornings in a row, then take the average of the three.)

2. Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) = 220 - your age

3. Heart Rate Reserve (HRR)= Maximum Heart Rate - Resting Heart Rate (RHR)

Once you have your Heart Rate Reserve, you can calculate your training heart rate:

4. (HRR x .55) + RHR = Lower end of the training zone

5. (HRR x .85) + RHR = Upper end of the training zone

Example: To calculate the training heart rate of a 35 year old person with a resting heart rate of 70:

Maximum Heart Rate (MHR): 220-35=185 bpm (beats per minute)
Heart Rate Reserve (HRR)= 185-70=115 bpm
Low End of the Training Heart Rate: (115 x .55) + 70 = 127 bpm
High End of the Training Heart Rate: (115 x .85) + 70 = 167 bpm

When this person exercises, they should try to reach their training heart rate zone (between 127-167 bpm) and maintain it for the duration of their aerobic activity.

Halfway through your aerobic activity, take a 6 second pulse and add a 0 to get the one minute figure (you could also do a 10 second count and multiply by 6 or a 15 second count and multiply by 4).

WEIGHT LOSS -- Calculate Daily Caloric Needs to Lose Fat

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

This formula calculates your basal metabolic rate (BMR) which is the number of calories your body burns each day. It is calculated based on height, weight, age, and sex. The only variable it does not take into consideration is lean body mass. Therefore, this equation will be very accurate in all but the extremely muscular (will underestimate caloric needs) and the extremely overfat (will overestimate caloric needs).

Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 x wt. kg) + (5 X ht.cm) - (6.8 x age)

Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 x wt. kg) + (1.8 X ht. cm) - (4.7 x age)

1 inch = 2.54 cm.
1 kilogram = 2.2 lbs.

Example:

Female, 30 yrs old, 5' 6 " (66") height, 120 lbs.

1. 66 x 2.54 = 167.6 cm
2. 120 / 2.2 = 54.5 kg

BMR = 655 + (9.6 x 54.5) + (1.8 x 167.6) - (4.7 x 30) = 1339 calories/day

Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)

When know your BMR, you can calculate total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) by multiplying your BMR by your activity multiplier from the chart below. (Obviously, this part of the equation is an estimate so the accuracy of the results can differ.)

Example (Using BMR from the person above):

BMR: 1339 calories per day
Activity level: moderate exercise
Activity factor: 1.55
TDEE = 1.55 X 1339 = 2075 calories/day

For this person to maintain her current weight, she needs to consume 2075 calories per day.

Once you know your TDEE (maintenance level), the next step is to adjust your calories according to your goal. To maintain your weight, you should remain at your daily caloric maintenance level. To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit by reducing your calories slightly below your maintenance level (or keeping your calories the same and increasing your activity above your current level).

If you wish to lose two pounds per week (a realistic and safe goal), you will need to create a calorie deficit of 7000 calories per week. (One pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories.)The best way to achieve this goal is to reduce your weekly caloric intake by 3500 calories and burn 3500 calories through exercise.

Doing the math, 3500 calories divided by 7 days equals 500 calories. To lose two pounds per week, cut 500 calories per day from your diet and burn an additional 500 calories per day through exercise.

Eating Tips For Weight Loss

(Adapted from the American Heart Association's "Delicious Decisions" web site. For the full document, visit the AHA's "Delicious Decisions" page.)

• Plan the kinds of food you'll eat and the number of meals and snacks you'll have. Many dieters have success eating smaller but more frequent meals, usually five to six meals per day, about every three to four hours.
• Don't skip whole categories of food. Vary your diet by eating different foods within each group. (Eating a variety of foods is essential to get all the nutrients you need.)
• Try to enjoy your food with less salt. Salt is about half sodium, and eating too much sodium causes a higher blood pressure in some people. The AHA recommends that a person's daily sodium intake should be no more than 2,300 mg. To maintain this level, season foods with herbs and spices instead of salt, read food labels to help track your sodium intake, and limit your consumption of salty foods.
• Keep a record of what you eat and how much exercise you do, so you'll know how to make adjustments.
• Keep fresh, low-fat foods around.
• Use a shopping list, and don't shop when you're hungry.
• Plan your meals. When you're at a party or you eat out, think ahead of time what you can do to make it easier to eat healthfully.
• At a buffet table, choose wisely. At a friend's house, control your portions.
• When you're hungry between meals, drink a glass of water or eat a piece of fruit, and stay out of the kitchen.
• Eat slowly. Take smaller portions and avoid "seconds." Don't skip meals.
• Find healthy ways to deal with stress or boredom, instead of overeating. Take up a new hobby or start a walking program.
• Read food labels and avoid foods that are high in fat and calories, as well as highly processed and refined foods.
• Foods high in sugar are often also high in saturated fat and calories. Avoid pastries, candy bars, pies and cakes.
• Drink lots of water. Limit (or eliminate) alcohol and other high-calorie drinks.