The information in this newsletter is intended for educational purposes only and should not be interpreted as medical advice. Please consult your physician for advice about changes that may affect your health. It’s common to see guidelines for exercising in your “Target Heart Rate” but what does that mean? Your Target Heart Rate (THR) is an esmate of the number of mes your heart beats per minute during exercise. Monitoring your THR is a great way to determine if you are exercising at an appropriate intensity (especially for cardiovascular acvies) and if you are allowing enough me to recover between high-intensity intervals. How It Is Calculated: To calculate your THR, you first need to calculate your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR), which is an esmate of the maximum safe number of mes your heart can beat. To calculate your MHR, simply subtract your age from 220. For example, a 45-year-old would have a MHR of 175 beats per minute (220 minus 45). Understanding Different THR Zones: Different THR zones can be used to esmate your exeron levels as well as to maximize the aerobic and anaerobic benefits of exercising. For example, a high-intensity THR zone is typically assumed to be a 70 – 85% exeron level, or 70 – 85% of your MHR. Using the example above, if your MHR is 175 beats per minute, then your 75 – 85% THR zone would be approximately 122 – 148 beats per minute (175 x .70 = 122 and 175 x .85 = 148). A moderate intensity THR zone would be 50 – 70% of your MHR and a recovery THR zone would be less than 50% of your MHR. Key Consideraons: Your THR zones are esmates that should be used as guidelines for evaluang your exercise intensity. Your heart rate will vary depending on your condion and the acvity you perform. For example, seasoned endurance athletes can typically exercise in a THR zone higher than esmated due to their aerobic condioning. Your heart rate may increase dramacally during exercise if you engage in an acvity that you normally don’t perform. Your THR can be affected by medicaons (e.g., some blood pressure medicaons). Sources: www.hp://www.hopkinsmedicine.org, www.heart.org, Understanding Target Heart Rate November 2017 Is It Normal To Feel Unmotivated? While some people have a natural drive to eat healthy and exercise, many of us struggle to make these choices on a regular basis. If you struggle with movaon, you are completely normal. Here are some acons you can take to conquer lack of movaon: Think about how you feel about the goal itself. Forget the hard work and imagine yourself achieving your goal. If you feel excited, your goal is worth pursuing. If you feel lackluster, idenfy a different goal. Define “unmovated.” Are you unmovated by the acons you take or the goal itself? For example, if you want to lose weight but hate running, you are just unmovated to run. Try a new acvity to increase your movaon. Acknowledge internal resistance. This is the voice in our head that makes an excuse not to make a healthy choice. Push past this resistance and just make the healthy choice. Take note of what happens and how you feel. Most people feel a sense of pride and sasfacon that can make it easier to make the same choice in the future. Make it a priority. Making a lifestyle change oſten means you must change your schedule or obligaons. Aſter all, there are only so many hours in the day. This may mean cung back on things like watching TV or eang out. Ask yourself what you are willing to change or sacrifice in order to reach your goal. Source: hps://www.psychologytoday.com