Finding Fitness for Life at Piedmont Middle School

Piedmont Middle School physical education (PE) students check their heart rate monitors to gain an understanding of how much exertion is actually needed to maintain a healthy fitness zone; the target heart rate for a 14 year old is 144 to 175 beats per minute. The Piedmont Educational Foundation funded the acquisition of E Series Polar Heart Rate Monitors for the Physical Education Department at Piedmont Middle School.

The goal of the PE Department is to increase students’ knowledge and awareness of their own personal health through the use of the new heart rate monitors. Students will learn about the importance of developing a strong, healthy heart in a hands-on way. The weekly mile run, which requires sustained cardio respiratory endurance, will be the most common use for the heart rate monitors.

Current heart rate monitor technology will assist the teachers in supervising students’ workouts to keep them safely exercising in their healthy fitness zone and also enable the teachers to provide a confidential, personalized printout of a student’s exercise period.

As Tim Wisniewski, PMS Physical Education instructor says,
“With these monitors, our students are provided the tools necessary to assess their cardiovascular fitness levels based on the heart rate reserve (HRR) formula. Providing the student with a tailored goal allows for success at a non-intimidating pace. Ultimately, our students will become responsible for and competent in life-long health and wellness concepts.”