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With continuing advancements in technology, individuals are able to track a variety of data during their workouts. One piece of information available on many devices is heart rate, which is a key concern for some people and of little concern to others. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, knowing one’s target heart rate and working to meet it while exercising can help improve an individual’s overall fitness.

A heart rate monitor can be used to keep track of the intensity of a workout, which can then help a person achieve optimal caloric expenditure and burning of fats and carbohydrates. Checking one’s heart rate is by no means required, however, to live a healthy and active life filled with effective workouts.

Dallas resident Aaron Byrkit, who is running the Chicago Marathon in early October, said he pays attention to his heart rate to a certain extent, though he doesn’t think simply going by what his Garmin watch tells him is completely accurate.

“Heart rate can be used as a gauge to interpret effort and load on the body,” he said. “The problem is that without going to a lab to learn your real heart rate zones (aerobic, lactate threshold, etc.), you end up using generalized charts and zones that may be telling you something incorrect about your body. So, you have to be careful about how seriously you take what your watch tells you.”

And some individuals choose not to check what their watches are telling them about heart rate. Dallas resident Ben Sewell, who is a runner and cyclist, said he generally ignores heart rate information during training because it isn’t as reliable of a gauge as pace in regard to intensity and fitness for focused training.

“The problem lies in that heart rate isn’t a good metric for training intensity,” he said. “It tends to be dependent on weather conditions (temperature, humidity, etc.) and human factors (like fatigue or your current state of wellness), and any one of those can cause highs or lows that are simply responses to those conditions and not the intensity of the workout.”

Dallas resident and runner Becca Finke, who is due to deliver Baby Finke into the world in early November (or, if things go as she hopes, in mid- to late October), suddenly finds herself checking her heart rate on her Garmin Fenix 6 while she’s running to keep it in the range her doctor advised, which is between 150 to 160 beats per minute.

“I never used to pay attention to heart rate when I ran, but now that I’m pregnant, it’s important to keep from overexerting,” she said. “When you’re pregnant, your heart rate normally increases as the body works to pump blood to the organs and placenta.”

Exceeding certain heart rate levels can also be dangerous for people who are not carrying children inside of them. A higher-than-normal heart rate can indicate overexertion and serve as a warning for when a person needs to back off a bit.

“I think many physically active people realize that you actually get stronger when you recover and that pushing too hard too often can prevent a person from getting stronger,” Byrkit said.

Sewell said heart rate becomes relevant for individuals who experience health issues during exercise, and in such instances, one should consult a doctor to better understand his or her limits. He also believes that, regardless of what people are monitoring during their workouts, the more important aspect is simply that those workouts are happening.

“I’m of the opinion that most people place too much emphasis on heart rate because it doesn’t always directly reflect your current level of perceived exertion,” he said. “That said, I think people tend to use heart rate during exercise because it’s an easily observed metric for effort, and anything that gets people moving is a good thing.”

According to the International Dairy Foods Association, cold cheese should be taken out of the refrigerator about half an hour before eating to allow the flavor and aroma to develop.

Laundry is not exactly always the most beloved chore, and though machines are largely doing the majority of the work, the human element can become rather arduous. Should one separate clothes by color and/or fabric composition? Remove some clothes to air-dry or simply throw everything into the dryer at once? Fold and hang up articles of clothing immediately after the dryer finishes? And do the choices a person makes in these regards reflect who he or she is as an individual, or are they merely further indications that laundry could indeed be the worst?

Dallas-area resident Josh Odegard said he used to do laundry weekly on Sundays, a ritual he knew since childhood, but since he’s cut back on the amount of soccer he plays and miles he runs, that’s not the case anymore. In fact, he owns enough socks, underwear, sleeveless shirts, and bed sheets that he only does laundry every two to three weeks. However, he certainly won’t leave his clothes in the dryer for that amount of time.

“I work full-time from home (usually just in my underwear), so laundry is pretty minimal these days,” he said. “When I actually do laundry, I’m pretty anal about taking clothes out of the dryer as soon as they’re dry—and sometimes before. I hate ironing, so I want to make sure that I take the clothes out before the dryer even stops and get them hung up before they have any time to get wrinkles.”

And Odegard doesn’t understand why anyone would do laundry differently.

“I know others who will leave clothes in the dryer, sometimes for days,” he said. “I don’t get that. You are either going to have to iron everything or turn the dryer back on, right?”

Dane Sebring, who lives in Washington, D.C., does his laundry once a week, usually on Sunday, the day he also dedicates to taking care of his plants. He is one of those individuals who often makes laundry choices that don’t make sense to Odegard.

“I like most household chores, but I absolutely detest laundry, specifically folding,” he said. “A normal well-adjusted adult should take out laundry as soon as it’s clean, but sometimes my inner undergrad dorm dweller takes over.”

Sacramento-area resident Ashley English also does laundry on a weekly basis and said though she ideally would like to take her clothes out of the dryer right when they’re finished to prevent wrinkles, she doesn’t take her own advice and ends up removing them when she needs the dryer for the next round.

“I always forget I ran it unless I’m specifically waiting on something to wear,” she said.

Dallas resident Keith Jensen said he does laundry two to four times a week and removes clothes either when he remembers (which he said is scary because he does not have a great memory) or when he needs to wash more clothes.

“I wish I was a better person who had my stuff together to take clothes out of the dryer after they’re finished drying,” he said. “I think it really helps with wrinkles if you pull them out immediately.”

Dallas resident Sydney Kinder does laundry once or twice per week, and while she prefers to remove her clothes from the dryer as soon as they are dry, it doesn’t always happen if laundry day is not on a Sunday.

“Sometimes I put them in the dryer on a weeknight and go to bed before they’re finished,” she said. “I never leave clothes in the wash, but I’m fine with leaving them in the dryer for 24 to 48 hours.”

But Kinder said doing so simply has to do with the fact that work and life can become extremely busy during the week and is not a direct reflection of her overall personality.

“I’m very Type A and organized, but laundry just goes to the bottom of my priority list,” she said. “It doesn’t mean I’m lazy.”

For Jensen, laundry habits are a bit more suggestive of other ways in which a person conducts himself or herself.

“They say how you do one thing is how you do everything,” he said. “While I don’t necessarily believe that in all phases of life, this may be close to true here.”

English said if a person removes clothes from the dryer days (or a full week) later, it could indicate that an individual is a bit more relaxed (or possibly lazy) about chores or things he or she owns, or it could simply be a reflection of how busy that person is and how he or she chooses to spend time.

“In an ideal world, I’d love to be on top of everything and never leave clothes in the dryer, but sometimes something’s got to give, and I am OK with that being laundry,” she said. “Maybe one day I’ll be more on it, though.”

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Basil Kohn wanted to stop in and say hi to all NatNews dear readers

Monday, September 25: National Quesadilla Day; Women & Wealth Finance Panel with Amanda Hill at 101media HQ
Tuesday, September 26: Movies in the Park — How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days at Griggs Park
Thursday, September 28: Luke Bryan at Dos Equis Pavilion; 7th annual Uptown Block Party
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