Should I Buy a Heart Rate Monitor for Zumba?
I love teaching Zumba. I teach high intensity Zumba 4 times a week and Zumba Gold 2 times a week. I smile a lot and sweat a lot, but how do I know much exercise I am getting from Zumba class?
Until now, I have relied on free online calorie calculators and exercise diaries like hot cal to tell me how many calories I burn during exercise, including Zumba. I enter every food and beverage I consume each day and I enter every minute of exercise I do each day into hot cal. The site software uses my 1) Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR, 2) daily calorie needs based on my activity level, 3) net calorie needs, and 4) exercise bonus calories to calculate whether I’ve stayed within my daily calorie target to meet my personal fitness or weight loss goals.
I currently use the cardio exercise entry “Dancing, aerobic, ballet or modern, twist” to track Zumba. According to my height, weight, age, and sex; I should burn about 272 calories in one 50-minute Zumba class.
272 calories? That’s it? That can’t be right… Can it?
I think it’s time I invest in a heart rate monitor so I know exactly how many calories I burn in each Zumba class – not only for my own personal fitness, but to also allow me to use the music and moves that will get my Zumba class participants’ hearts pumping (safely, of course).
Stay tuned as I shop for my first heart rate monitor for Zumba!
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One Response to “Should I Buy a Heart Rate Monitor for Zumba?”
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Hi! A few months back I invested in a HRM for zumba and it’s been great!! It’s great to see how many calories I burn in each class and it also keeps me motivated to push a little harder if I see it’s lower than usual. I typically burn between 450 and 590 depending on the routine, my day, and energy levels. I haven’t started teaching yet but I do use it when preparing routines now to make sure I’m going at the right pace with the intervals.