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The Soothing Power of Music

In the April issue of IDEA Fitness Journal, you asked if anyone was using music to enhance the experience of clients. I am a clinical musician intern playing harp for patients in the hospital as well as in hospice care. I include harp playing to induce the relaxation response during my yoga classes. I use the musical scale to tone the body to get ready for exercise and then use harp music at the end for relaxation, meditation and visual imagery.

Bonnie Berk, MS, RN, HNB-BC, ERYT
Carlisle, Pennsylvania

Heart Rate Training Clarification

I have questions regarding the case study on page 29 of the June 2011 Ex Rx column “Heart Rate Training” by Laura Sachs.

I am not sure how the math was figured in the “2 × 4 Minutes” test. If you follow the charts on page 30 and you average 153 bpm and 154 bpm, you get 153.5 bpm. Rounding that up, you get 154 for T1. If you use the chart associated with that test and add 20 to 154, you get 174 bpm. Yet, in the case study, the maxHR is 185 bpm, using 166 bpm as T2. In this case study, are you blending the results of both tests (“2 × 4 Minutes” and “Can You Speak Comfortably?”) to get that 166 bpm? If so, it is unclear.

Also, the instructions [on the chart] for the “Can You Speak Comfortably?” test are different from the written instructions below. On the chart, it states [that you should] begin with a heart rate of 120 bpm, [but] the written instructions below it [tell you to] begin with 110 bpm.

Finally, is there a difference in the charts for Heart Zone Training on pages 29 and 31? They appear to be the same principle but the ranges have shifted.

Kyle DeVriendt
San Gabriel, California

The Author Responds: Regarding your question about the case study, I did not blend results; I added 30 not 20 to Peter’s test results; I apologize for not catching this error. Even though Peter works out four times a week on a regular basis, he is not putting in the time and miles of an athlete. Since his T2 is 166, if his maximum heart rate were 175 he would be only 9 points away from maximum. It’s possible but not likely with his training schedule.

When I tested him using the “Can You Speak Comfortably?” test, I added 20 to his T2 number; 166 + 20 is 186. The criteria for 20 fitness factor points, as printed on the card, are: “If you are in Fit Cardio or Competitive Athlete shape, add 20.” I chose Fit Cardio, since Peter rides four times a week and is well trained in outdoor cycling. This 154 (T1) to 166 (T2) range is where he is training.

Either 110 or 120 can work as a beginning heart rate for the “Can You Speak Comfortably?” test. I use both. With my students at USF, many of whom are not athletically fit, I use 110. With more fit clients, the test takes less time if you start at 120. I have also noticed that if you give these tests in the same session—and give the “2 × 4 Minutes” test first—the participant’s heart rate is likely to reach 120 very quickly at the start of the “Can You Speak Comfortably?” test.

I have included the correct Zones Chart for you (see below).

Source: © Heart Zones USA with permission.

IDEA Answers Contest Winners

Editor’s Note: In June on www.ideafit.com, IDEA Answers ran a contest that asked contributors to ask or answer 10 questions in a certain period of time. Ten participants who fulfilled the requirement were picked randomly to win a free IDEA membership. Two of the winners wrote to express their excitement:

Thank you for selecting me as a recipient of a free IDEA membership. I greatly appreciate it and will use it not only to help myself but, more importantly, to better help others! As a graduate student, [my lack of] money can create many obstacles, especially to services like [an IDEA membership]. I am a firm believer in providing health, fitness, wellness and nutrition education to others (especially to those who cannot afford it but want better health), and this allows me to take it to the next level!

Jason Martuscello
Tampa, Florida

Thank you! I am so excited to have won this membership! I am a stay-at-home dad, and times have been tough for finding the time and money to invest in growing my personal training business. This has been a wonderful surprise and a great help and resource. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!

Marc Rosamilia
Middletown, New Jersey

IDEA FitnessConnect Profile Pays Off

I love IDEA FitnessConnect! Since I created my profile last September, I have been contacted about once a month with new leads; I’ve gotten three long-term clients from it, as well as exposure for the fitness classes I run in the area. Before IDEA FitnessConnect, I had used other online profile listings, but I got leads maybe once a year, and they never turned into clients. I love that if you search for a personal trainer or yoga teacher in my ZIP code, I am the first person listed! (This is probably why I have been contacted so much.) It really pays off to have a completed profile and lots of education listed.

Please let the masterminds behind FitnessConnect know how well it is working! I really appreciate the business!

Jehan Izhar CPT, CYT

Physical Performance Coach

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Erratum

In the news item “A Calorie Is a Calorie Is a Calorie. Or Is It?” in the June Food for Thought column, the average postmeal energy expenditure for the whole-food meal should have been given as 137 ± 14.1 kilocalories—not 17 ± 14.1 kilocalories, as printed. We regret the error.

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