Happy 2021 from the Bowmars to you! The fresh start I am sure we all have been waiting for. I will let you in on a little secret though, nothing changes if nothing changes. So let’s change! It has always been my mission to put out helpful content in a way that is easy to digest and understand. My goal is not to confuse you just so you will hire me or Josh to train you. I want you to have the knowledge and confidence in yourself and what you are doing to get to your goals.

Let’s talk about cardio. If you have already, I recommend reading these two blogs:

If I’m Trying to Lose Weight- Should I Lift or do Cardio?

How Much Cardio Should I Be Doing?

Now that you have read both of those blogs, let’s talk about the “fat burning heart rate zone”. The most basic equation is to take 220 and subtract your age. That is your MAX heart rate. Your fat burning heart rate zone is 70-80% of that. An example: I am 31 years old so 220 – 31 = 189. My range would be 132 beats per minute and 151 beats per minute.

I don’t like having to hold on to the machine to determine what my heart rate is, it takes forever and what if you are running outside! Here are a few ways to test your heart rate to see if you are in the range for fat burning. Also, please note, you could be in the fat burning heart rate zone and still eat more calories that you burn that day and therefore, gain weight. This is assuming you know what your fat loss calories and macros should be.

10 second count- find your pulse and count how many beats in 10 seconds. Multiple by 6. Voila.

Pulse Ox Monitor (as shown in the cover photo)

Activity Watch

It’s also important to understand how quickly you can recover (back to resting heart rate) as this is a great indicator of cardiovascular health!

Sarah Bowmar is a certified nutrition specialist, personal trainer, prenatal and postpartum trainer, entrepreneur, podcast host, and author.