Cardio- Are you working hard enough?

Two things poeple do- either they are working too hard or not hard enough. If you work too hard, your body will use protein as a fuel. This means you are using muscle as energy. Not good. If you are not working hard enough, you are not burning enough calories to do anything. Everybody has a target heart rate or training heart rate (THR). Your THR will be tracked in heart beats per minute. Most cardio equipment have heart monitors on the handles or you can purchase a heart rate monitor. Here's the simple formula to figure your THR:

220- your age= Max heart rate

Max heart rate x .65= low THR

Max heart rate x .85= high THR

For example, if you are 37 years old your THR will be 119- 156 beats per minute. This gives you a goal to shoot for while you are working on the elliptical, bike, etc.