Best Tools for Weight Loss

One of the most powerful tools you can have--one that won't cost you a dime--is a key motivator. A key motivator is a very personal and powerful reason to lose weight. A key motivator needs to be your own, not one placed on you by someone else. It also needs to be strong enough that it inspires you when you get discouraged and provides focus when you get distracted.

You may not have thought about this before, although you may very well have a key motivator stored in the back of your mind. But..think about it now. What is the one thing that has or will start you on your journey and keep you moving forward when the scale isn't moving at all? Write down your key motivator. Place written reminders where you will see them daily: the bathroom mirror, the refrigerator door, your cubicle wall, and your gym locker. Make your key motivator so concrete you can evoke it's power immediately.

The number one tool you must get if you are serious about shedding body fat is a heart rate monitor. This simple tool allows you to set your Target Heart Rate Range (THRR) and monitor your intensity level during any activity. Receiving immediate feedback allows you to adjust your efforts to produce better results.

Read on to learn how to determine your THRR and use it to increase your weight loss.

You'll also find out what you need to know when choosing a heart rate monitor, and see a few of our favorites.

Heart Rate Range (THRR) is the most important thing you can do to lose body fat.

Your THRR is the level of intensity that you need to reach and maintain during activity to affect body fat loss. Working below this level of intensity is a likely suspect if you put time and effort into a fitness routine yet fail to reach your goals: you simply aren't pushing your body to a level that requires the use of stored energy (body fat). This also explains why the activity already included in your daily routine may not allow you to reach a desired weight: your body has already adapted itself to provide the energy you need for the activities you do, and retains as much body fat as it can in reserve.

So how do you get your body to burn body fat efficiently? You've got to make your body work a little harder. To do this need a reliable way to monitor your efforts. This is why knowing your THRR and using a heart rate monitor is critical.

For an average, healthy person the most common recommendation for exercise intensity is 60%-80% of your maximum cardio capacity.

Calculate Your Target Heart Rate Range

220 - your age x .60 (to determine the low end)

220 - your age x .80 (to determine the high end)

if you are obese use 208 - (.07 x your age) and then multiply by .50 and .65 to set your THHR, then increase the range parameters as you become more fit

Once your THRR is programmed into a heart rate monitor, you can be certain about the intensity of you efforts and tweak your workouts to get the results you expect. A common mistake people make is trying to judge intensity subjectively with the measure being "it feels like I'm working hard enough" rather than actually measuring their heart rate.

Combine adequate intensity, with adequate duration (at least 20 minutes in your THRR), and adequate frequency (4-6 days per week) to boost body fat loss. Increase any or all of these components (intensity, duration, or frequency) to accelerate your results. Keep in mind that your body adapts to new demands as you become more fit; adjust your THRR upward to 70-85% of your maximum cardio capacity as your fitness level improves.

NOTE

The THRR formula above is the most common formula for determining THRR and is based on age. You may need to adjust your THRR up or down based on your abilities and your results. If you use the above formula and find it difficult to stay within the THRR for at least 20 minutes, use a range of 40-60% (or lower) to calculate your starting THRR. When you can stay within this range for a 20 minute period, adjust the THRR range upward. On the other hand, you may need to adjust the range upward right now if your fitness level is better than most people your age. If you can talk effortlessly while maintaining the THRR you calculated using the above formula, up the parameters for calculating your THRR.