I have patients who come into my office with foot pain that is directly attributable to their weight. Now, I don't profess to be a personal trainer, but unfortunately, I have had to lose some weight at various points in my life. I see people at health clubs that are peddling their stationary bike or going a mile-a-minute on the treadmill only to become frustrated that they are not losing any weight. The problem is physiological... the faster the heart rate the less fat you lose. Our bodies were designed this way to shut down certain systems and to reserve energy. So how do you lose weight?
To lose weight, your hear rate should be at approximately 55% (give or take 5%) of your maximum heart rate. So what is your maximum heart rate? Take 240 and subtract your age. This gives you your maximum heart rate. For aerobic exercise you should be at a target 75 - 80% of your maximum heart rate. For fat burning, again, you should be at 55%.
Example for a person who is 55 years old: 240 - 55 = 185 for maximum heart rate. Aerobic would be 185 x .80 = 148 bpm (beats per minute) with fat burning 185 x .55 = 102 bpm.
So the next time you are advised to shed a few pounds, realize that long duration and steady is better than short duration and fast.
"The journey of life is taken one step at a time... none of them should be painful." G.M. Barclay, DPM, AACFAS
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