Losing weight is hard, and it takes time. You didn’t gain the weight overnight, and you won’t lose the weight overnight. But you can maximize the time you spend exercising so that you can lose those extra pounds as quickly and safely as possible. The key is monitoring your heart rate.

Everyone has a target heart rate they should aim for when they exercise in order to get their metabolism working at peak efficiency. Start by finding your maximum heart rate (measured in beats per minute; just take 220 minus your age). Your target heart rate for optimal weight loss should be 70% of your maximum with occasional bursts up to 90%.

Traditionally, you had to feel your pulse for six seconds and multiply that number by ten to monitor your heart rate, but that style of monitoring is cumbersome, easily inaccurate, and can break your workout rhythm. Health tech products provide us with watchband monitors that can tell us our current heart rate at a glance. Watchband monitors can be standalone monitors (taking the information from your wrist, or radial pulse) or used in conjunction with chest bands that provide a more accurate reading from closer to your heart.

Watchband monitors and armband monitors generally take up to 5,000 readings every minute to provide you with current information whenever you glance down, saving you time, calculations, and breaks in your routine. This helps you know exactly when and where to push yourself to maintain that target heart rate and shed those pounds. It also can tell you when you might be overdoing it. Most watchband monitors can be set to sound an alarm if you get too close to your maximum heart rate during your workout.

With the popularity of mobile technology rising every day, it should come as no surprise that fitness monitoring can be easily integrated with your smartphone or tablet, and tracked online or through any number of helpful Blackberry, Android, or iPhone fitness accessories. Some can even be linked with chestband monitors, so you can enjoy your favorite workout mix while monitoring your heart rate, all with your phone.

And the benefits aren’t just confined to your exercise routine. Monitors can be used throughout the day to let you know of any irregularities or potential cardiac issues. However, these readings should never take the place of regular physical checkups with your doctor or practitioner, especially if you’re embarking on any kind of exercise program to lose weight.