Arg! Heart rate monitor advice

caycifish_IHB

caycifish_IHB

New member
I have wanted a heart rate monitor for a while now in order to see how close to my real calorie expenditure the machines at the gym get, as well as being able to track how hard I'm working when not in the gym.



I got one for Christmas. It passively tracked my heart rate, but it didn't track calories burned. It also made me wear a chest strap. Lame. I returned it on Monday.



I just read the manual for the new one (which is a Mio with no chest strap...wrist band only). I enter in all my data only to discover that it doesn't passively track my heart rate. I am expected to put two fingers on these little buttons every so often while I'm exercising (and hopefully not fall off a machine at the gym while doing so) instead. Lamer! I'm not going to remember or want to interrupt my workout in a way that will make time go by slower.



So now I'm annoyed that I have to return another HRM.



Any advice on a machine that will accurately tell me how many calories I have burned? I want to look at a display (hopefully on my wrist) and say "gee, I have burned 300 calories so far. Neat!"



Any opinions on the BodyBugg? Seems expensive.
 
I've had the Polar F6 (or whatever version) it was back in 90s since then. Works great. You just enter your weight and strap-on and away you go. It has the benefit that you can set yourself easy, medium and hard workout target heart rate zones and will beep at you if you go too high or too low, with a continous heart readout. At the end of the workout, you press the end button and it reads out your calorie count, provides weekly summaries and can be synced with your computer.
 
You might want to see if Polar makes a watch with the features you want.



I have a Polar S610 that I've used for 7 years which utilizes a chest strap. The chest strap, I believe, is more accurate since it uses two large sensors to monitor the heart rate. Although I never use it anymore, but just use the nifty watch because it keeps track of a lot of workouts that I can download them via IR (that would be "infra red" - not Larry!).



If you really want to burn calories, then you have two options. You can buy an expensive widget and go to the gym and get on a lot of funky machines that make you do weird, unnatural repetitions or you can dispense with the widget (and gym pass, for that matter) and take up jogging. Jogging is the most efficient way to burn calories and you burn roughly 100 calories for every mile, regardless of speed.



Find a dirt trail near your home and jog for as long as you can and slowly increase the distance. Remember, speed is not important. If you are getting a good workout, you'll sleep better at night and feel more awake the next day. It becomes addictive. Keep doing it, record your progress, run some 5K's in the spring, half marathon next fall, marathon next year.



See? You are on your way!



I'm glad we had this conversation.
 
Major - jogging is great but only works if your body will allow it. After I ran the San Diego marathon my orthopedic surgeon stepmother threatened me with foot shackles if I ever laced up again. I have a problem with my hip/knee/ankle alignment that will, in the end, result in a broken knee if I keep running (or even walking extensively, for that matter!).



So here I am, again on the Stepmill. No impact, high returns. (And I get to read IHB! Although I am once again sweating all over my Mac. Not good.



As for chest straps - Cayci, you might not have been wearing yours properly, because for me, once I put it on, I don't even notice it. And I appreciate the accuracy, and my Polar does give me a calories-burned number as well.
 
A few clarifications:



I workout already. Frequently. Like, 5-6 days a week for 45-60 minutes. Both days the non-functional machines were tossed aside as I went to the gym and spent 62 minutes on the elliptical trainer.



I hate weather. Sun causes skin cancer and wrinkles, I'm really white and get really burned, and sunscreen makes me breakout.



Dirt trails near me...LOL!



I would actually occasionally run or walk, despite the above issues, but I don't want to stop exercising until I have met my goal caloric expenditure. I am not training for a race. I am trying to lose body fat. Time is irrelevant. I'm not trying to see how many calories I burn in 30 minutes, I want to not stop moving until I burn X number of calories. That is the goal anyway.



The chest strap on the first one WAS working very well...I'd just rather not have to wear one if possible. The problem was the device had no feature to track calories burned. IE, it didn't take in my weight, gender, etc and the manual said nothing about calories anywhere. It was kinda neat to see my BPM go up as I got frustrated with not finding the info I wanted in the manual and annoyed that I was going to have to find a SportsChalet (since that's where the gift was purchased) to return it.



Thank you everyone for the advice thus far! I will keep researching devices.
 
The heart rate monitor should be used to gauge and ensure that you?re working hard enough.

I like the Polar model best because it works with all the different equipment at the gym.

The treadmill, stair master, elliptical, etc.

It displays your heart rate on the screen so you don?t need to wear or check the watch.



Forget about calories burned on those machines, they are not accurate, imo.

Running on a treadmill for 30-45 minutes burns way more calories than either the elliptical or stair master.

Yet the calories burned number on the treadmill seems to read lower than those other machines.
 
[quote author="irvinesinglemom" date=1232664452]Major - jogging is great but only works if your body will allow it. After I ran the San Diego marathon my orthopedic surgeon stepmother threatened me with foot shackles if I ever laced up again. I have a problem with my hip/knee/ankle alignment that will, in the end, result in a broken knee if I keep running (or even walking extensively, for that matter!).



So here I am, again on the Stepmill. No impact, high returns. (And I get to read IHB! Although I am once again sweating all over my Mac. Not good.



As for chest straps - Cayci, you might not have been wearing yours properly, because for me, once I put it on, I don't even notice it. And I appreciate the accuracy, and my Polar does give me a calories-burned number as well.</blockquote>


Congratulations on completing the marathon!



Did you get injured doing it? You might want to get a second opinion on your alignment problem. I always advise people to run on dirt trails because it makes a big difference impact-wise.



Although there are people whose bodies won't tolerate the pounding. I really feel sorry for them. I would go nuts if I had an injury/condition that would prevent me from running!
 
[quote author="Major Schadenfreude" date=1232686635][quote author="irvinesinglemom" date=1232664452]Major - jogging is great but only works if your body will allow it. After I ran the San Diego marathon my orthopedic surgeon stepmother threatened me with foot shackles if I ever laced up again. I have a problem with my hip/knee/ankle alignment that will, in the end, result in a broken knee if I keep running (or even walking extensively, for that matter!).



So here I am, again on the Stepmill. No impact, high returns. (And I get to read IHB! Although I am once again sweating all over my Mac. Not good.



As for chest straps - Cayci, you might not have been wearing yours properly, because for me, once I put it on, I don't even notice it. And I appreciate the accuracy, and my Polar does give me a calories-burned number as well.</blockquote>


Congratulations on completing the marathon!



Did you get injured doing it? You might want to get a second opinion on your alignment problem. I always advise people to run on dirt trails because it makes a big difference impact-wise.



Although there are people whose bodies won't tolerate the pounding. I really feel sorry for them. I would go nuts if I had an injury/condition that would prevent me from running!</blockquote>


That?s why running on the treadmill is the way to go.

Less impact, low risk of injury.
 
[quote author="tenmagnet" date=1232687597]



That?s why running on the treadmill is the way to go.

Less impact, low risk of injury.</blockquote>


And unless I'm in the hotel gym alone and I can turn the TV up really loud so I can hear it...it's also very boring. I find I can't run as fast if I have to read closed captioning.



I use the elliptical because I can read a magazine while on it. It works for me, and it keeps me enjoying exercise.



If I didn't have entertainment to make the time pass I might not exercise as much or for as long. My attention span isn't long enough for me to focus on the exercise itself for more than 15 minutes.
 
[quote author="caycifish" date=1232688332][quote author="tenmagnet" date=1232687597]



That?s why running on the treadmill is the way to go.

Less impact, low risk of injury.</blockquote>


And unless I'm in the hotel gym alone and I can turn the TV up really loud so I can hear it...it's also very boring. I find I can't run as fast if I have to read closed captioning.



I use the elliptical because I can read a magazine while on it. It works for me, and it keeps me enjoying exercise.



If I didn't have entertainment to make the time pass I might not exercise as much or for as long. My attention span isn't long enough for me to focus on the exercise itself for more than 15 minutes.</blockquote>




Understand where you?re coming from with regards to short attention span.

I run on the treadmill for 30-45 minutes.

It would be impossible for me to do that without listening to music on my Ipod.

The t.v monitors are there but when you?re moving at a quick clip, there's no time to closely follow any of the stories.
 
[quote author="tenmagnet" date=1232673467]

Forget about calories burned on those machines, they are not accurate, imo.

Running on a treadmill for 30-45 minutes burns way more calories than either the elliptical or stair master.

Yet the calories burned number on the treadmill seems to read lower than those other machines.</blockquote>


I look forward to being able to experiment with different cardio workouts and see which one really gives me the best burn for my time. I know the machines are wrong, and I'd like to see just how wrong they are. It will also be fun to see how many calories I really burn just walking around somewhere.
 
Just curious... why the sudden desire to meet a specific target? New dress?
 
To figure out the calories, don't you need a lot of information beyond heart rate -- things like which exercise you are doing, your muscle strength in the area that the specific exercise is targeting, your BMI, how long you have been exercising, what you've had to eat lately, etc.?
 
[quote author="Oscar" date=1232694152]Just curious... why the sudden desire to meet a specific target? New dress?</blockquote>


Just adding more information to my existing regimen. I have always been curious about the calorie readouts on the gym machines.



I do want to lose weight before my sister's wedding in May, but the bridesmaid dress is already delivered and in my closet and fits me now.
 
[quote author="T!m" date=1232696212]To figure out the calories, don't you need a lot of information beyond heart rate -- things like which exercise you are doing, your muscle strength in the area that the specific exercise is targeting, your BMI, how long you have been exercising, what you've had to eat lately, etc.?</blockquote>


My understanding is that with weight and gender input (or similar data), HR can give you a pretty accurate calorie count for the time you spent exercising. That was my problem with the first HRM. It didn't track calories because it didn't take in any inputs for my physical person. So yes, BMI makes a difference.



I'm not sure why the specific activity would matter so much as it could be difficult or easy for me...and my heart rate would change accordingly. In theory.



Food would only matter because if I ate it very recently it would add to the weight my body is moving, and I suppose increase the calorie readout. Same idea with ankle weights. You do burn calories digesting, however, while exercising bloodflow is increased to your muscles and pulled away from the stomach. I have read that you don't feel as hungry during parts of your workout for that reason.
 
[quote author="tenmagnet" date=1232673467]The heart rate monitor should be used to gauge and ensure that you?re working hard enough.

I like the Polar model best because it works with all the different equipment at the gym.

The treadmill, stair master, elliptical, etc.

It displays your heart rate on the screen so you don?t need to wear or check the watch.



Forget about calories burned on those machines, they are not accurate, imo.

Running on a treadmill for 30-45 minutes burns way more calories than either the elliptical or stair master.

Yet the calories burned number on the treadmill seems to read lower than those other machines.</blockquote>


Tenmagnet: note that I said "Stepmill" and not "Stairmaster."



The difference? Well, kind of like how a fish is different than a piece of paper. As in, no comparison! Most non-exercising people can't last 5 minutes on a Stepmill on Level 1. When I was in shape, I used to do LSD (Long Slow Distance) on Sundays, 120 minutes at Level 10. Now, I did 45 minutes at Level 4 this morning and suffered all day long from having overdone it.



If you think I'm kidding, then I challenge you. Go to the local 24 hour fitness or LA fitness and find a Stepmill. You can't miss them - they are huge and look like little escalators. Set one for Level 10 for 30 minutes on your choice of programs. Then come back and tell us how easy it is!
 
[quote author="Major Schadenfreude" date=1232686635][quote author="irvinesinglemom" date=1232664452]Major - jogging is great but only works if your body will allow it. After I ran the San Diego marathon my orthopedic surgeon stepmother threatened me with foot shackles if I ever laced up again. I have a problem with my hip/knee/ankle alignment that will, in the end, result in a broken knee if I keep running (or even walking extensively, for that matter!).



So here I am, again on the Stepmill. No impact, high returns. (And I get to read IHB! Although I am once again sweating all over my Mac. Not good.



As for chest straps - Cayci, you might not have been wearing yours properly, because for me, once I put it on, I don't even notice it. And I appreciate the accuracy, and my Polar does give me a calories-burned number as well.</blockquote>


Congratulations on completing the marathon!



Did you get injured doing it? You might want to get a second opinion on your alignment problem. I always advise people to run on dirt trails because it makes a big difference impact-wise.



Although there are people whose bodies won't tolerate the pounding. I really feel sorry for them. I would go nuts if I had an injury/condition that would prevent me from running!</blockquote>


Thanks! I ran the marathon in 2001 after having consulted an orthopaedic surgeon, a podiatrist, a chiropractor, and my stepmom. The podiatrist was a marathoner himself, having run more than 50 of them. He told me my angles were off the charts, and he gave me custom orthotics that were so extreme, he almost didn't want to give them to me. He then proceeded to tell me that they wouldn't help me and he was the one who told me keep running and you'll break that knee one day. I believe him. After a few warm-up miles, my right leg begins to "kick-out" more and more, and my right knee starts to bend inward at a funky angle that just gets worse with every step. People actually stare. I don't know how I made it through the race - I was obsessed with finishing, I guess you could say. Anyway, that was it. I have tried to run several times since then but have quickly been forced to stop due to this problem. And you are right - it is a huge deal to be forced to stop running forever. I actually spent much of the next several years in a dark depression, much of which was caused by my being unable to lace up the shoes and clear my head out in the fresh air.



Since then, well, I am now about 50lbs heavier than I was back then, and am slowly tackling that problem through the new loves I have cultivated: hiking, and the Stepmill. The Stepmill is just awesome, because it takes the need to concentrate away. On a bike or an elliptical, if you don't focus, you slow down. On a treadmill and a Stepmill, you just go naturally with the pace you have programmed into the machine. So you can zone out, so it's not boring. I surf the web or read a magazine or newspaper, or listen to music, or both. Or watch movies on a dvd player. Time goes by quickly. And then on my free weekends, I try to go hiking either alone or with my club (meetup.com's OC Hiking and Backpacking Club).
 
[quote author="irvinesinglemom" date=1232709356]

If you think I'm kidding, then I challenge you. Go to the local 24 hour fitness or LA fitness and find a Stepmill. You can't miss them - they are huge and look like little escalators. Set one for Level 10 for 30 minutes on your choice of programs. Then come back and tell us how easy it is!</blockquote>


I know you aren't kidding. Those things kick my ass.



Do you have one at home or something? How are you doing all these nifty, fun things while stepping your brains out?
 
Cayci - yes, I have one at home (purchased as "remanufactured for 75% off retail) and that's where I surf the web. My laptop fits nicely on the top portion of the railing and as long as I'm careful, I don't get too much sweat on it. (I have wireless internet at home of course). At the gym when I use theirs, I either read a book or watch a movie with my DVD player since there's no wifi at LA Fitness.
 
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