A Numbers Game

I've just been doing some basic Mathematics - with the aid of a calculator, of course. Initially I was working out the maximum heart rate to reach when exercising, advisable for someone of my age. It varies according to different formulae, but seems to be around 171 bpm to 164 bpm. When I'm on the elliptical trainer it's a bit difficult to be sure of the accuracy of any reading for the heart rate as the readings can vary very suddenly and sometimes are obviously incorrect. You get the reading for heart rate when clutching a couple of the bars that protrude from the control panel, and it really doesn't seem a terribly accurate process. On some visits I really have had no idea what my heart was doing, but tonight I got some fairly consistent readings indicating I was hitting a maximum of around 158, which would seem to be about right.
 
I've also been figuring out the average number of trips to the gym I've managed per week this year. I suppose my target is 3 a week, but I've only managed that in 10 out of 40 weeks so far. And there have been inevitably a number of weeks with no visits at all, when we've been in Malaysia or when I've been injured. The average number of visits actually works out at 1.65. Which is not bad, I suppose. But not good.
 
I'm keenly aware of my best performance over 45 minutes on the trainer, that being the standard duration of my work-outs. I managed to burn up 590 cals on my stint on 14 May, the last visit before Ramadhan and haven't come close since. (I measure performance in terms of calories burnt since this is the least variable bit of all the variables involved, if you see what I mean.)

So what's the point of all these numbers? Frankly, none really. Working out in the gym is just mind-bogglingly boring compared to actually getting out for a run and, I suppose, the numbers serve as a distraction. And, in an odd kind of way, as a motivational tool. For all my scepticism about them, they are somehow real, and when you can't trust what your body says, they seem reliable, even when they're not. And if they help me find a reason for getting some exercise done then that's fine by me.