Heart Rate Monitors
Would you recommend buying an Heart Rate Monitor?
At first I used to exercises sans Polar, and it never really bothered me. Once exercise, and running particularly, started becoming more significant in my life, I wanted an HR monitor so that I can learn about the way my body behaves when performing certain cardiovascular exercises: I wanted to be able to push myself when necessary, and keep an reasonable HR if I am going the distance. I also like the fact that I can see how many calories I am burning; it gives me an indication regarding how much I need to eat.
What Polar do you use?
I have a black Polar F6 which I bought in Karstdadt, Germany for €100.
Would you recommend another type of heart rate monitor?
It really depends on your kinds of exercise. I would have probably chosen a Polar from the RS series since it focuses more on running (it calculates things like pace, distance etc.). If you are focusing on general fitness, you can certainly go for the F series, and you can pick the very basic versions. In regards to other heart rate monitor manufacturers, I have only heard of Garmin before but I cannot give my opinion since they are not available where I live or in countries around me.
What about Polar mal-functioning?
This is definitely an issue that bothers me, as I am sure you have read in my previous posts. Many times, it simply does not provide a reading: you either see a 0 or the heart rate is way off. Some advice:
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Tighten the strap
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Wet the strap. Yes, saliva, as gross as it sounds. Wet the “plastic” section before putting it on
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Warm up for at least 2 minutes. Walk. Jog. Stretch. And look at it and see the readings changing
What about the readings on the machines at the gym?
Some gyms have cardio machines that have their own HR monitor. Technically, you could just wear the strap, the HR is sent to the machine and your current HR is displayed. Thus, you can see the total amount of calories burned and your average HR based on the information sent from the strap. Furthermore, some machines have a CPR button that allow you to meet your fitness goal (calories burned/distance/time) based on an average HR you enter. So, for example, on the treadmill, you may enter 170 BPM for your average HR, press start, and then speed will change accordingly until you meet your desired HR.
What is your resting heart rate?
Tough question. I assume it’s around 80 or 90, but sometimes its around 130.
What is your heart rate when you work out?
I aim for a HR anywhere between 170-180 BPM when I do cardio. Strength training is different because each exercise has its own effects, but my HR when lifting is usually in the 130s. All the same, when I do squats or lunges, it climbs up to the lower 160s. When I am really pushing myself, my HR can reach 192 BPM.
I notice that your Maximum HR is high sometimes. Doesn’t it worry you?
Well, as long as I am not feeing bad because of the high HR and I know I am not sick or anything, I don’t mind it. It is all about how you feel when you are exercising; even though the HR may have a high number, if you feel like you can keep on going then don’t let that number discourage you! But the moment you feel bad or you just think the HR is too high, STOP!
Food
How many calories do you eat?
I used to be an obsessive calorie counter but now I am just trying to listen to my body. That said, I know the caloric quantity of nearly all foods I eat. I assume I take in anywhere between 1500 to 2000 calories every day.
What are your typical meals like?
Breakfast is always oatmeal, about 50 grams dried cooked in water and mixed with Yoplait (125 grams)
Lunch is always anything I can make in 5 minutes: steamed veggies, soup, tortilla with hummus, lettuce and slice of gouda, cereals with milk + banana (if I am really short on time)…
For most dinners, my mother always makes a huge Israeli salad, made of tomatoes, cucumbers, red and/or yellow peppers, red/white/spring onions, some feta cheese and olives (green or black). I have a tortilla or wasa crackers for some carbs, and eat mainly different kinds of cheese (cottage, plain etc.) I also have some Rio Mare Tuna (in water) for some protein, or eggs
Snacks: I usually have 2 snacks every day, but that can vary too. I snack on veggies (baby carrots and cherry tomatoes) all the time. An hour before the gym, I have a Corny Linea bar. I also eat cheese strings, apples, yogurt + cereals…
What do you take for an on-the-go meal?
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A stuffed tortilla/sandwich
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Cereals in a bag + yogurt + apple
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Whole pack of rice cakes (apple cinnamon flavor is my favorite!) + yogurt + apple
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Small can of Rio Mare Tuna in water + 6 wasa crackers
Pavement Running
What time of the year do you actually run outside?
Typically, I run outside between late March/Mid-April until September.
You are quite obsessed with the weather/temperature. So what are the minimum weather conditions?
I would say I need at least 12C/53F. The ideal is of course 18-20C/60sF.
What’s not an option for me: too windy, rain, too sunny, temperatures above 20C/70F
What time do you normally run outside? Do you have a typical routine?
During workdays, I get up at 5:30, change for my running gear (my stuff is always by my bed), go downstairs for a sip of milk/snack, and then head outside by 5:45. I run for 30 minutes because I cannot afford more and then get home to shower, breakfast etc.
During weekends, I normally wake up at 8:00 and am outside by 8:15.
What distances do you run outside?
For the 30 minutes sessions, I run about 5 KM
Cross Training
What is your typical cross training like?
You are welcome to check out all my cross-training workouts on this page
It is hard to say because I always try to run. So if I have some more time or I am too sick of running for the day then I "cross-train". I normally hit the elliptical but I occasionally hope on the stepmaster aka sweatmaster of cardio wave
Why don’t you do some form of biking/spinning?
I have never really liked biking (I have a pair of bikes sitting at the garage and I have maybe used them 5 times) but I have recently found that biking really irritates my knees. Every time I attempt it at the gym I get some serious pain in my knees so I just don’t try it, and I don’t do spinning either
