Biofeedback refers to the action of monitoring your own bodily data in order that you can more closely control its functioning. For example, by monitoring the number of calories burned during exercise you can ensure that you exercise for the correct amount of time in order to burn the necessary amount of calories. The technique is used most commonly by those with anxiety disorders and heart problems, whereby they’re given a heart monitor in order to keep an eye on their heart rate. This way as they get more and more excited or angry they will notice that their heart is faster than it should be (possibly alerted by some form of alarm). After this happens they then need to find a way that works for them to relax their body and bring their heart rate back down. In this way they are indirectly controlling their heart rate and affecting a part of their body we normally have no real control over.

While this is useful for those with anxiety it’s also useful for everyone else to strengthen the link between mind and body, and the perception of the link between our lifestyles and our health and body functions. In particular it is even more crucial for those who work out, or are aiming to lose weight, as it gives them a great way to monitor their progress and to tailor their workouts.

Biofeedback can includes all types of bodily data and while some is more a form of immediate feedback (such as heart rate or calories burned during exercise), other forms might take longer to provide feedback such as bodyfat percentage or weight. When you step on the scales to see how heavy you after a meal – that’s biofeedback (though generally the term is used to describe the more immediate effects).

So if you’re into exercise what elements do you need to be looking at and how? Well the most obvious is heart rate. To monitor your heart rate you’ll need to purchase some form of monitor. Those used to treat heart problems and psychological disorders are highly accurate but are also fairly bulky and expensive. Instead a simple ‘exercise watch’ or something along those lines will do the job you need. Alternately, some cardiovascular machines in gyms such as rowing machines or treadmills will have heart-rate measuring capabilities which require you to hold onto two metal patches. While training then, keep an eye on the heart rate monitor on the device. As you do you should consider several factors. Firstly, you need make sure that your heart rate stays below the maximum heart rate or it may be dangerous. To work out a rough maximum heart rate you simply need to subtract your age from 220. So as I’m 22, my maximum heart rate is around 198 – if it goes higher than that I need to take a rest.

The other reason you need to keep an eye on your heart rate is that it’s a great way to monitor the intensity of your workouts. Obviously the general rule here is that the harder you train, the faster your heart will beat. This is in order to pump blood and so oxygen around the body to supply the muscles and brain with oxidative energy which means it’s also related to our VO2 max – which represents the fastest your body can perform this process.

Monitoring the intensity of a workout doesn’t mean that we should strive to get the heart beating as fast as possible just below the maximum. In fact there is an optimum amount of exertion we need to achieve in order to maximise the calories burned during exercise. This exertion correlates to 70% of our maximum heart rate, so for me that’s 70% of 198, which is 138.6 – the number I should try to keep my heart rate at (by watching my heart rate monitor) during exercise.

As well as measuring your heart rate during exercise however you should also measure your heart’s resting rate. This gives you an indication as to your general levels of fitness and also means that you know how much your heart rate has increased by when you begin to workout and how long it takes to return to normal after you finish (another indicator of your fitness with shorter times equalling greater cardiovascular fitness). Furthermore, this will enable you to spot when something’s wrong and to know when you’re not calm. If your heart rate seems unusual for whatever reason it may be that you’re becoming ill, or that you’re perhaps unconsciously stressed about something. From here you can go about tackling the cause of the problem.

Obviously another good statistic to monitor is the number of calories burned during exercise. Most monitors designed for sport have this ability built in and it means that you can workout for as long as necessary to burn the amount of calories you need to eliminate that Sunday roast for example.

The potential for bio feedback goes further than this however. Firstly, by constantly monitoring your bodily statistics then altering your behaviour accordingly, you will begin to become attuned to your body’s patterns. This means that you develop a certain innate sense of how hard your working out, how stressed you are, and how many calories certain actions are burning. This further means you’ll eventually be able to control all this without a monitor and give you a superhuman mind-body connection.

Other aspects we haven’t mentioned include measuring temperature, muscle tension, EEG activity (brain activity) and sweat glands. Many of these things are used for a variety of experiments to test unconscious reactions to stimuli giving biofeedback yet another crucial role.

Mack LeMouse

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