In the days before I had even heard of a Heart Rate Monitor (never mind a women's heart rate monitor), I used to hate running. The only reason I ran was because I was bombarded with messages telling me that I needed to lose weight and get fit (all true, sadly). So I forced myself to include ten minutes of running in my gym program. At least, until I soon gave it up through boredom.
Then I met someone who showed me a way that completely turned my hatred of running on its head! He showed me, with the aid of a heart rate monitor, that I had actually been running too fast too often. On top of that I was not running with a plan, and had no idea whether the training I was doing was providing any benefit.
I believed that going to the gym with the intention of running for ten minutes each day was a plan.
"That's not a plan", I was told. "How do you measure your current fitness? How do you set your goals for improvement? How do you ensure that you are not over-training? Conversely, how do you ensure that you are training hard enough?"
I didn't have the answers.
"Well, if you want to transform the way you train. To enjoy your training and be motivated to improve - I can show you how. All you need is a simple and relatively inexpensive piece of equipment to start with. That is a heart rate monitor."
After initial reluctance, I listened and learned from my mentor. He taught me how to measure my maximum and resting heart rates and how to use these to calculate the appropriate training intensity to meet my goals. I was shocked at how slowly I had to run at the start of my training program, yet the results came quickly.
I cannot emphasize enough how slowing down my training, but training to a plan, completely changed my results. It was only a matter of weeks before I was running faster than ever before, but with far less effort! It was almost too easy.
I have progressed to running more distance over time, from 10KM to a half-marathon and ultimately a full marathon! I would never have thought this possible, and am convinced that it would never have been possible for me had I not discovered how to train with a heart rate monitor.
Nowadays there are even more stylish women's heart rate monitor models available to feel good wearing too!
So my top tips for someone starting out in running, or someone who has not found a passion for the activity are:
- Investigate how to properly use a heart rate monitor
- Take measurements of your current readings for planning and future motivation
- Make a plan for your training
- Record how your fitness improves once you start taking it easier!
Emily Jarvis Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Emily_Jarvis |
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