Fitness tools are like music in that they help to keep exercise sessions fresh and enjoyable. A variety of fitness gadgets can serve as real motivators to keep us moving toward our goals.
In the many years I have been interested in exercise, there has been no shortage of these tools, and I have tried out my fair share. Some have been keepers while the novelty of others lasted only a few sessions.
Yet, in all the hours I have spent engaged in fitness, there has been one gadget that I use consistently. To increase the duration and effort of your fitness sessions I highly recommend that you workout with a heart rate monitor.
This one little piece of equipment gives information that is valuable to achieve the most effective workout in every session. The monitor can be used to keep you in your target heart rate zone, to count calorie burn, and as a stopwatch. But, the aspect I like best is the motivation I get from utilizing this fitness tool.
Let me explain why this fitness tool so irreplaceable. Let's say you are working out and have your heart monitor on and working for you. You glance down at your monitor watch occasionally to check your stats and notice the number of calories you have burned. This information lets you know if you want to kick it up a notch or if your pace is good for your desired outcome.
Reading your stats is good information to keep you moving, but it gets even better. At the end of your fitness session, you look down and realize you have burned off 333 calories. Now, here is where the motivation kicks in. "Are you really going to end your fitness session with an odd number like 333?"
For most of us the answer is "no". So you continue the exercise you are doing or hop on a treadmill, elliptical, or bike. Then you monitor your calorie burn until you get to a more solid and memorable number like 350, 375 or even 400.
Just think about this, if you play this little game with yourself each time you workout, you will likely burn 15-50 more calories a session. Put those same calories into the context of a week, and you have burned off an additional 75-200 calories for the week.
For some, this may sound like a paltry number. But for those who are counting each calorie as a means of reaching a weight loss goal, this is a way to get more fun and results out of your fitness sessions.
So, the next time you are looking for a fitness tool, invest in a heart rate monitor. It is well worth the money and, I guarantee you will not be sorry!
Fitness is All About You!
Victoria
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