Another Heart Rate Monitor Question....UGH

melbhall

Sorry guys, I hate to beat a dead horse about heart rate monitors but I have one last question before buying one.

Does a heart rate monitor with chest strap calculate only calories burned during exercise? I mean, if I want to wear one just to get a general idea of how many calories I burn in an average day of wrestling my baby or cleaning will it calculate that? I know it seems like a silly question but I have been debating whether or not just to get a HRM for now and a body bugg if I get more serious about things later (they are more expensive).

Thanks for the help!

jrich1

If I am understanding your question right the HRM has a button to start counting calories and you tell it when to stop

Mary_Burris

You can use it for anything...I used mine one day cleaning my house to see how much that burned. I wouldnt log it! but for informational purposes only. lol

EboniA

bump!

I was wondering if I should get an HRM to so I'd like to know the responses. :bigsmile:

packerena

I agree with the other repliers and I'd like to add that some monitors with the chest straps also tell you what "zone" your heart rate was in and what percentage of calories you burned were in the fat, cardio, or fitness zones.

I get a "mail" message on my hrm each Monday morning that gives me a summary of the week before and recommendations for the new week. It's kind of something to look forward to.

One other thing to consider about monitors with a chest strap before you buy: Some of them allow you to change batteries by yourself. Others require that you send in the whole piece to get the battery changed and that process can take up to 2 weeks - and you pay a fee plus shipping. I wanted one that I could replace the battery and not go without while the battery is replaced even though it costs a little more up front.

kicklikeaGIRL

Here's a blog by a MFP member, who has done his research, and knows his stuff. This will help you if you are serious about understanding your HRM. It really helped me. Good luck!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472

funkyspunky871

There's no reason you can't wear it throughout the day to see how many calories you burn. I just wouldn't log anything but exercise though, because MFP calculates that you burn a certain amount of calories just doing daily activities. I love my heart rate monitor. Sometimes it goes out and stops counting for a second or two, but I really doubt that makes any difference.

There's also a lot of other advantages. It tells you where your heart rate was during exercise and what percentage of the calories was fat. If you want (though I turn this feature off), your heart rate monitor can even help you burn the most calories possible. You warm up for five minutes and it'll give you your appropriate heart rate zone. Then it'll beep either fast or slow to warn you if your not in your zone anymore or if you're going over. Very cool.

I have a Polar F...6, I believe.

Azdak

You can wear a HRM during daily activities but the calorie numbers are meaningless . HRM calorie estimates are only valid during certain types of exercise. At rest, heart rate is affected by many factors unrelated to metabolism.