We made it to another Workout Wednesday!

As I’ve been working to re-charge my own fitness focus this week, I thought I’d take advantage of today to remind everyone of a simple way to gauge how much work you’re putting into that workout. It doesn’t involve calculations of target heart-rate zones. In fact, there’s no math involved at all. Instead, what helps many fitness lovers gauge the intensity of their workouts is known as the “talk test.”

Here’s what the scores look like:

• Low intensity: You can carry on a conversation comfortably with a workout buddy or sing along with your playlist – being off-key doesn’t matter!
• Moderate intensity: You can still talk, but you’re slightly out of breath and can’t carry on a conversation at a normal pace.
• High intensity: You can only say a few words at a time because you’re breathing rapidly.

As I’m sure you’ve already figured out, if you’re looking to lose weight, working out at a moderate to high intensity will provide the biggest benefits for your waistline and your overall health. In our time-crunched lives, however, there aren’t always enough days in the week to get in all the hour-long high-intensity sessions we want. That’s why I’ve become a big fan of Tabata training. Click here for a reminder on why the high-intensity training protocol became a fast favorite in my fitness routine.

I wrap this short and sweet post with the reason why it’s important to assess just how hard we’re pushing ourselves when we workout. You know how easy it can be to underestimate just how many calories you’re eating? It’s just as easy to overestimate how hard you’re exercising! If you don’t have a heart rate monitor, the talk test can be a good way to gauge if you’re really doing all you can to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!