Exercise can be greatly enhanced with feedback. Two tools we have found very helpful include heart rate monitors and stopwatches.

Heart Rate Monitor

We have used Polar heart rate monitors for over 9 years and find them very necessary for understanding the right intensity for training. We prefer models that can both count the heart rate and calculate the number of calories burned. (Polar is a good brand, but be careful as we have found them fragile) There are very much more sophisticated models that tan estimate fitness level and provide computer output that can be very important for competitive athletes, however for normal people, just the heart rate and calories burned is fine. This is important for weight management as you can set the amount of exercise to match your weight loss goals. For instance we try to burn at least 900 calories per day. If we only get into 500 calories in one session, we know we have to come back for a second session to burn the next 400. Furthermore, if we have one hour to work out, but have only burned 300 calories, we know we need to pick up the pace.

Timer / Stopwatch

The second very useful electronic helper we have used is a timer or stopwatch. This is for stretching. Most people do not hold their stretches for adequate amounts of time. Its been shown that it takes around a minute for muscles and fascia to fully stretch. Without a timer of some type the inclination is to focus on the time mentally and this reduces how much you can get into the stretch. With a timer you can set it and forget about time until the stretch is complete.

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