Fat Burning Heart Rate

In a time where more people are obese then ever before, understanding the nature of burning fat effectively is critical to ensuring that your weight loss and exercise program is successful. When it comes to losing weight, simply reducing calories isn’t enough. If you want to enter your “fat burning” zone, then you need to perform cardiovascular exercise that increases your heart rate.

When you perform aerobic exercise, your heart rate increases. When you are in the Fat Burning Zone or the heart rate activity that is pro fat burning, you will burn more fat calories for energy. For example, at 60-70% of your target maximum heart rate, 85 % of the calories burned come from fats with the remaining 10% from carbohydrates, and the last 5% coming from proteins. It is very important to understand how your target heart rate and fat burning works because if you increase your heart rate too high, you will stop burning fat and build up lactic acid, which in turn burns protein- the building blocks of muscle. The best way to ensure that you are losing fat and not muscle is to work within your target heart rate.

There are a few ways that you can determine your target heart rate. These vary from using a mathematical formula, calculators, and measuring your pulse. However, it is important to realize that you should consult with your physician or health care practitioner before beginning any exercise routine. It is also important to note that certain medications may interfere with your target heart rate, so be sure to double check with your physician regarding your heart rate and any possible interactions with medication that you may be taking.

To determine your fat burning heart rate zone you will first need to find your resting heart rate, or RHR. Your resting heart rate is actually an indicator of your overall fitness level. To find your RHR, simply take your pulse for 1 full minute. Count each heartbeat for your total Beats Per Minute or BPM. To find your pulse, take your index and middle finger and place them directly under your ear. Simply slide your fingers down and over to your jawbone. Directly under your jawbone, you will feel your pulse. Now count each beat for one full minute. A normal resting heart rate should be between 60-100 beats per minute. If your resting heart rate is more than 100 beats per minute, you should schedule a check up with your health care provider.

You can also check your heart rate by placing your index and middle finger under the base of the thumb on the opposite wrist. Again, count each pulse for one full minute. Now, here is the formula used for finding your target heart range.

Take the number 220 and subtract from that number your age. For example 220-40= 180. Now, take the answer (in this case 180) and multiply it by .55. In this example the answer is 99. This means that your low target heart rate is 99 beats per minute. Now, take the same number- 180 and multiply it by .85. The result in this example is 157. This means that the maximum number of beats per minute would be 157 to ensure that you are burning fat and staying within your target heart rate.

Knowing your ideal fat burning heart rate will help you lose more fat by making your body burn fat while exercising instead of burning carbohydrates or protein.