target heart rate info

(seeing as tamara posted a challenge about exercise, this is good timing for this post!-- also, i make really funny faces when i work out.)

So.
i exercise now.
and i exercise on fancy-pants machines at work that have heart rate measuring things that you hold on to and it tells your heart rate.
i don't know what this means.
i know what my heart rate gets up to.
i don't know anything other than that.

I researched it!
i found a ton of information. target heart rate is not based on body size, or height, or weight-- it's based on age. which really does make sense. whether you're skinny or fat, your heart should work the same to keep you healthy. i guess.

ANYways... i found a lot of stuff, and it basically said the same things. Here's my target heart rate:
119.4 (from Discovery Health)
98-146 (from Cancer.org)
98-166 (from americanheart.org)
my favorite site actually was thewalkingsite.com, which gave more detailed information on heart rate. I'll sum it up:
take 226 and subtract your age (226-27=199)
this is your maximum heart rate. now, depending on the kind of work you want to do, you have a different set of target heart rates.

warm up (50-60%) 119.4--> i have a high heart rate anyways, so my resting hr is about this (100-ish).
fat burning (60-70%) 139--> at this rate, you have benefits like lowering body fat, cholesterol, and blood pressure. 85% of the calories burned at this rate are from fat.
endurance training (70-80%) 159--> improves cardiovascular and respiratory system, and increases size and strength of your heart. more calories are burned, with 50% from fat.
performance training (80-90%) 179--> improves endurance and fights fatigue. burns more calories, but only 15% are from fat.

**keep this heart rate for 20-60 minutes, 3-5 times a week for maximum benefit**

so, you see, higher heart rate isn't always better when working out. i'd been keeping mine around 160, which looks like it works for me. i remember that it was way higher when i started working out, which meant that my heart was working too hard for my outcome. it meant my heart was out of shape, just like the rest of me. now that i'm getting healthier, my heart is also, so it's easier to keep it in the target range. for my needs (weight loss!) i'll stay in between the fat burning and endurance training ranges.

i'll also be practicing taking my own heart rate, for when i do my wii workouts. i do the boxing and i'm sweating up a storm, but i don't have a clue what my heart rate is during that time.

*disclaimer: this in no way substitutes for your own research, your doctor's suggestions, or what you should do. if you get your heart up to what i tell you to, and you have a stroke or a heart attack or any other kind of injury or illness, don't come crying to me for moneys. i don't have enough. it wouldn't be worth your time to sue me*