Get that Heart Pumping by Exercising Safely and Effectively

Back 2 or 3 years ago (after yet another personal declaration to get back into shape) I went out and bought a heart rate monitor. I figured that it would be a good idea to make sure that I was at least exercising safely and effectively.

Actually the idea of the heart rate monitor came from the few times I had visited a Curves Fitness Center. During the workout, they would make you check you heart rate every few minutes or so. (This membership did not last long - I would rather workout on my own)

Anyway, back to the story. Needless to say, I shared this information with my father who had been faithfully working out for a few years. He has heart disease which was caught before he ended up in real danger. He now has a stent and one blocked artery, but his cardiologist advised him to keep up his exercise program. So I went out and bought my dad his very own own heart monitor. He absolutely loved it! He was so proud to be using it everyday while he exercised away on his HealthRider, Gazelle, and treadmill. FYI - My dad is 64 years old and can run circles around me! Sad Huh?

So after about a year, he had burned up that heart monitor from overuse I guess. It just quit working. I honestly don't remember what brand it was, but needless to say I came up with the brilliant idea of letting him have mine for the time being. My generous nature busted me and it was real fun trying to explain why mine was still brand new. I can still hear the lecture about how the heart rate monitor was my idea in the first place and then me trying to justify it by saying "Well Dad, I'm younger. You have heart disease. It's more important for you to use the heart monitor...." Even though I knew better. The truth of it was that I didn't need it because I wasn't exercising AT ALL. Of course, it took Dad all of 10 seconds to figure that one out.