164

164. That was my maximum heart rate this morning during CardioX. How do I know? I use my heart rate monitor during any of my cardio workouts. I never thought much about it before, but now that I'm using one, I really appreciate the instant feedback.

For me (and probably you, too), the higher my heart rate is for an extended period of time, the harder I breathe and the more I sweat. And my heart rate is a great indicator of how intense my workout is.

This is the one I use. It's the Bowflex Ana-Digit strapless heart rate monitor. I tried the type where you wear a strap across your chest and didn't like it much, so I never used it. It has a regular analog clock face and a digital read out for your heart rate. When I want to know my heart rate, I press and hold the two buttons diagonal from each other and within 10 seconds, it gives me a surprisingly accurate heart rate - almost identical to the reading I get when I'm on an exercise bike holding onto the handles to check my heart rate.

I really like the watch, but if you plan on using it outdoors, I'd fine a different one. The red LED readout is difficult, sometimes impossible to read outside. But indoors, it works very well.

Another reason to get one - to measure your overall level of fitness. One measure of fitness is to measure how how many beats per minute your heart rate drops within one minute of stopping an intense exercise routine. So, for example, if my heart rate was 164 and I rested for a minute and it dropped to 154, that would mean my heart was having a difficult time recovering. However, if it dropped to 134, that would be much better in terms of overall fitness. The faster your heart rate drops within a minute after exercise, the more fit you are.

If you're not using heart rate monitor now, I recommend you get one. There have been several times when I thought my heart rate was where I wanted it to be and then, I found it was lower, letting me know I could bump up my intensity level.