Soon to be "Dr." Melissa Marotta joins me to discuss the findings of a study she created:
Are There Psychological Effects of Heart Rate Monitor Use During Exercise?
Background
Biofeedback, the process through which individuals learn to direct their physiological responses by being presented with precise, rapid measurements of heart rate, body temperature, and even neural and muscle firing patterns and being taught to link these changes with their thoughts, emotions and behavior, is consistently supported in the medical literature for the treatment of anxiety, depression, migraine, cognitive and attention disorders, sleep disorders, and other conditions. Through biofeedback, people are taught that they can control their physiological states via diaphragmatic breathing and other mechanisms, and learn how to do so through self-correction.This is the same concept that coaches and trainers use to teach athletes to direct their heart rates during training.
It stands to reason, therefore, that use of a heart rate monitor during exercise may achieve similar results to the heart rate component of biofeedback.
The present study seeks to explore:
1 ) Are there psychological effects of heart rate training — both that relate to exercise, and that apply to non-exercise(specifically relating to self-concept, self-confidence, and coping mechanisms)?
2 ) Are there specific ways that coaches and trainers can incorporate cuing language to reflect the potential psychological benefits of heart rate training?
I feel this information will be be of value to anyone wanting to improve the percentage of Heart Rate monitor usage in their classes.
UPDATE 12/17 2013 - now Dr. Melissa Marotta Houser (she also got married) has expanded her research on this subject and has published the results of her study; Exercise Heart Rate Monitors for Anxiety Treatment in a Rural Primary Care Setting.
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John is a member on the AFS (Association of Fitness Studios) Advisory Council.
Holding certifications from; Schwinn, Heart Zones, Team ICG and Life Time Fitness, John's held regularly scheduled cycling classes between 1998 and 2015 when he moved to Florida.
When the weather permits, you'll find him riding and leading outdoor groups by himself or with his Tandem partner (wife) Amy.
Melissa/John,
Great journalistic approach to the exploration heart rate monitor usage.
Melissa was great. Her energy just came bursting through the audio. Her amazing delivery will serve her bedside manner well and her patients will love her.
Clearly she has reviewed the science. Her emphasis on the Mind/Body value rather than energy expended is refreshing.
I know I’m going step it up in my classes.
Great podcast. I was interested to hear Melissa’s comment on ‘stress relief’ as a reported benefit of using HR monitors. I think that’s an important factor but one that students find difficult to articulate. My students skew toward an older demographic and I suspect that many are concerned about doing ‘too much’, especially at the outset. On the other hand, I think their age and experience makes them sympathetic to the idea that “data is always better than no data” and they grasp the concept that data trumps feelings. Heart rate info seems to help them resolve the dissonance that they often experience during exercise.
I have seen a number of people who are able to ‘relax’ in class because they have real-time feedback that, especially during their first few weeks, seems to reassure them that they are not working ‘too hard’. Without generalizing too much, I have seen this most often in women age 40-60 with little to no history of exercise earlier in their lives. Until they obtain their monitors they are tentative and tense. After they start using their monitors they are able to participate more fully in the classes – committed in both mind and body. They become the most vocal advocates for monitor use and zone training. In addition, most of them decide that their husbands and children must also use monitors during their physical activity.
Unsurprisingly, the group I describe ends up experiencing higher levels of exertion than the ones they feared before they had their monitors. They also become proponents of one of my favorite phrases – “the brain lies”. When I first start a discussion about monitors I tell people the truth – that I want to quit 7 to 10 minutes into every bike ride and every class I teach. Every cell in my brain tells me to go home (no change in my routine has ever helped me over that hump). I tell them that a glance at my monitor reminds me that I am not really exerting myself yet and that gets me past the bad patch. It’s a little example but it helps people to know that I am actively using my monitor even before we get into the ‘meat’ of the class. The phrase “the brain lies” has become a touchstone of my classes – sometimes people spontaneously blurt it out and we all smile because we have been there too.
I love that – “the brain lies” and experienced it this morning with Amy on our tandem. My brain was telling me “I’m feeling tired… better go the short way around the lake.” Except my trusty Blink was telling me I was hardly into the Yellow. I little prompting from my “Stoker”, pushed over Threshold on a long climb, and I was excited to enjoy the long – way – around.
Christine,
Great discussion on why and what for. The beauty is, that once we’re all on the same page we can all work to our own personal goals in a worry free, non-stressful way regardless of what class we are in.
I glad to hear I’m not alone during that first seven to ten minutes. I was wondering how hard I needed to train to get past it. Honestly, it only takes one look at the monitor (mine is usually still blinking Blue) to settle me down and let it go.
Melissa or John said it, effort management means you don’t have to take a nap after class, and that means me too.