Heart-Rate-Techy-Dweeb-Babbling-Nonsense

I've always wondered how much exercise we get when we go windsurfing. So I stole (err- borrowed) Anne's heart rate monitor while she wasn't looking, and went for a skate sailing session!

First things first, here's an explanation of basic heart rate guidelines. This stuff is all over the web, but I'm using an article by Sally Edwards on howtobefit.com as a basis for the following:

Everyone has a generic maximum heart rate (HR) based on their age and weight. I'm sure there are fancier ways of figuring out a more personal max HR, but the generic equation for a male is:

210 - half of your age - 5% of your body weight + 4. That equals 191 for me at 29 yrs old and 165 pounds.

From there, you can look into different "HR zones" for efficient training.

Zone 1 = 50 to 60% of your max (96-115 for me). Minimal effort, warm up/cool down type stuff. It's good for your health, but not very strenuous.

Zone 2 = 60 to 70% of your max (115-134). Moderate effort. Your body will use fat for up to 85% of it's caloric needs if you exercise here!

Zone 3 = 70 to 80% of your max (134-153). Aerobic effort. Your body will burn about 50% fat and 50% carbs in this zone. This is the zone where you actually get fit and your body will see the most health benefits.

Zone 4 = 80 to 90% of your max (153-172). Anaerobic effort. Your heart cannot supply enough blood and oxygen to your muscles, so they start to "burn." You still see healthy benefits here, in the form of getting stronger and faster, but it hurts.

Zone 5 = 90 to 100% of your max (172-191). All out insanity. Don't go there for long, or you may just end up hurting yourself.


So, here are the (much anticipated, I'm sure) results from the skate sesh:

Heart Rate, Recorded While Windsurfing

Looks like the act of rigging up bumped me into Zone 1. Rigging is good for your heart!

I started by just cruising around, playing with duck jibes, heli tacks, etc etc. It wasn't all that strenuous, and I stayed in the upper end of Zone 1 for most of the warmup.

As I started throwing the occassional vulcan, spock and grubby, the HR started to elevate a bit and I crept up into a solid zone 2 workout! Goodbye, fat!

Then, I really got in the groove, and didn't sail further than 10 yards in a straight line, choosing instead to carve turns, throw spocks, slide the wheels out, pump the sail maniacally, etc etc. I was into it, man! And that pushed me up into Zone 3, a true aerobic workout, which lasted... all of 15 minutes!

All in all, I put almost 3 miles on the ol' skateboard, nailed a few port tack vulcans and spocks, and figured out the sail handling for a funnell. All in a small parking lot sized 40 x 20 yards, and with 9-13 mph north winds.

Just think, I could have been on a treadmill breathing recycled air and watching MTV.

I LOVE WINDSURFING!