However, it is vitally important for your health to get the right guidance when partaking in any physical training.

It's easy to see the body becoming slimmer and the muscles becoming more defined but what we don't know is what exactly is going on inside.

The heart is the most important muscle of all and requires the most care but many people underestimate just what it goes through when we push ourselves into stringent fitness regimes.

Gone is the mantra of fitness experts of days gone by - no pain, no gain. If you have pain then you've done too much.

Up to date equipment in public gyms have devices to monitor heart rates and work out calorie usage etc. However, they are susceptible to external influences such as power surges and humidity. As this is the heart and this is what we need to be aware of.

Personal heart rate monitors are much more reliable and will be tailored to the individual wearer. A close eye can be kept on calorie expenditure and heart rate giving a good indication of progress being made.

However, it is important to understand that readings will vary from day to day, with good reason. Many factors will influence heart rate and if you are wearing a monitor you can allow for these fluctuations and alter your workout accordingly.

Heart rate will alter quite drastically in relation to heat, cold, altitude and air quality. Drugs, whether they be prescription or otherwise, will strongly influence the heart rate as will alcohol, lack of sleep and blood sugar levels.

While it is necessary to push the limits of your body to increase fitness you must pay attention to your heart rate. In doing so, the body will work to optimum ability, becoming fitter and stronger much quicker.

Another factor affecting the heart rate is the state of your emotions at that time. Anger and stress will raise the heart rate even on resting whereas depression will lower the heart rate.

If you don't listen to your body and your emotions and continue to push the body to extremes, you are making yourself susceptible to heart disease. The heart, as a muscle, works much more efficiently if you work within its day to day boundaries.

It is very important to understand how prolonged emotional stress, perhaps due to something such as mental abuse, over a period of time will cause the heart rate to stay elevated. Exercise is always good for mental well-being but wearing a heart rate monitor will ensure you are aware of any unseen problems.

It is also imperative to know that you are relaxing properly in between exercising so that your body works as efficiently as possible. It is relatively easy to sustain an increased heart rate through stress while sitting perfectly still and it pays to be aware of this through a personal monitor.

Many insurance companies will reduce premiums if you can show you are actively pursuing a healthy lifestyle so you can save money as well as saving your health.