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This is such a complicated thing to work out. Fat burning range is 60 to 80% of your max heart rate. But the trouble is that that 220-age formula is very very general and doesnt really apply if you're fit already.
Also, if you want to get fitter and do more, then you have to move beyond the fat burning zone with interval style training, where you have maybe 2 minute peaks of very hard work before you slow down again. This will whip you into a whole nother level of fitness, and your heart rate may be up in the 160's to 170's during this time. You burn less percentage fat at this level but more fat in total because you burn more calories in total. So there's no need to think you're not burning fat by working that hard. Plus you get greater afterburn. But you dont need to make every workout and interval one, twice a week plus some more moderate workouts should do it.
Thirdly, once you get fitter, 220-age doesnt apply, and your fat burning range moves higher, I found a different formula through coolrunning.com that was more involved and took into account your fitness level and my fat burning range at age 40 is more like 140 to 165 bpm rather than the 118 to 145 or so that I had thought. And I could tell this because I can easily run with my heart rate in the 150's and not be puffing and panting and I can talk (just).
So really, the perceived rate of exertion is the way to go. If you can talk, but not carry on a detailed conversation or sing you're in the ballpark, and you should feel as though your breathing is deep and even (although the rate of respiration is increased), not puffing and panting.
__________________ Jacqui
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