Excited! Just bought a Polar F4 off of Ebay!

petunia

Can't wait for it to get here to see how much I'm really burning when I do things! It'll be interesting to see if I'm really burning 700 calories in my hour long step class (I hope so!). I just don't feel right eating those exercise calories until I'm sure that's what I'm using up...

Anyone ever worn an HRM for a whole day to see how many calories you're burning in a day (does that even work?)

Also want to know how many calories I'm burning while riding my bike pulling my twin girls behind me (that's an extra 60 pounds).. not going very fast but it's better than sitting on the couch!

By the way, I love this site and all the advice. Don't know if it's coincidental or what, but seems like there's a lot in the news about keeping track of what you eat, eating small meals often, counting calories, etc...

This just seems to fit right in!

petunia

Can't wait for it to get here to see how much I'm really burning when I do things! It'll be interesting to see if I'm really burning 700 calories in my hour long step class (I hope so!). I just don't feel right eating those exercise calories until I'm sure that's what I'm using up...

Anyone ever worn an HRM for a whole day to see how many calories you're burning in a day (does that even work?)

Also want to know how many calories I'm burning while riding my bike pulling my twin girls behind me (that's an extra 60 pounds).. not going very fast but it's better than sitting on the couch!

By the way, I love this site and all the advice. Don't know if it's coincidental or what, but seems like there's a lot in the news about keeping track of what you eat, eating small meals often, counting calories, etc...

This just seems to fit right in!

natalie424

I bought an HRM last week and I am so glad I did. I feel better knowing exactly how many calories I am burning. It is a good motivator too. I set a goal of how many calories I want to burn and I don't stop until I reach my goal. It's by far the best purchase I have made in quite a while. I think you will be happy with yours too.

sherielf

I'm excited for you! I want to get a Polar F4 since I read in "Younger Next Year" that the best way to ensure you're exercising hard enough is by monitoring your heart rate.

I would be interested in knowing how it works for you. I am have been so close to purchasing one so many time.

Enjoy - I think it will help alot!

Sherielf

sherielf

I bought an HRM last week and I am so glad I did.

What make did you buy? Is it very fancy (lots of readouts??)

Sherielf

natalie424

I bought an HRM last week and I am so glad I did.

What make did you buy? Is it very fancy (lots of readouts??)

Sherielf

I got a Polar F6. I don't think it's too fancy... It was easy to program my stats and it's easy to use. It lets me know when I am below or above my target heart rate zone. I like that... it pushes me to work harder to stay within that zone. It gives a summary after working out with time, calories burned, maximum heart rate, and average heart rate. It also sends a message at the end of the week totaling all of that information for the week. I'm very happy with it.

Carrie6o6

I know with my F4 it tells me if im in or over me HR as well, and it tells me my summary, how long i was in the zone, how many cals etc. I love it. Its simple and it works! haha

petunia

yeah! I'm so excited! I can't wait for it to get here...

Anyone ever worn it all day to get a 'full day' reading?? Would that be accurate??

StrawberryMargarita

I am really interest to see how you like it. I have been thinking about getting one. Be sure to come back and tell us how i works.

douganl

I have an F6 and I can't excercise without it anymore. I even got to the gym this morning and forgot mine, so I went all the way back. It is such a good motivator and good to know you are in your heart rate zone!!! I would ABSOLUTELY recommend getting one!

petunia

UPDATE!!!!! (sorry, this is a little long)

OK, so I got my new F4 yesterday in the mail... I had that sucker ripped open and working within minutes... it was perfect timing, because Wednesdays are step class day, and I really wanted to know how many calories I'm burning in my class!

So, I've been taking this class regularly (2 times a week) for over a year. So, I knew it was a good workout.. according to THIS site, I was burning around 700 calories...

so I strap on the monitor and it immediately starts reading my HR - resting HR was in the 70s.. I left it on as I drove to my class... stayed in the 70s the whole time (I tell you watching the thing is addicting). I got to my class, reset it for the beginning of the class... and off I went!

According to the 'watch' my heart rate zone based upon my age is 120 to 157. It took me a few minutes in the warmup to get to 120, but once I was there I quickly went into the 140s... By the time my workout ended, I registered 656 caloris burned, with an average HR of 154 and a high of 171... :happy:

This is where I have questions for you heart rate monitor experts out there...

I think the range is a little low... there were a few times during my workout where I looked down at my watch and I would be in the low 160s (which is technically outside the range), but I was totally fine... not overly winded and could still carry on a conversation... I definitely have a wall around 170 tho.. I could tell without even looking at my watch when I was getting to that point...

so my questions are this (sorry it's taking me forever to get to the point) - may sound like a stupid question, but the higher your HR the more calories you burn, right? So, if I could, to get the most out of my workout (and burn the most calories) I should get to my high HR and stay there as long as I can, right? Is there anything to the 'ranges' that say to burn fat you should be in the lower range?? If that's the case, then I wouldn't burn as many calories and I don't think I could handle going 'slow' to keep my heart rate that low???????

Regardless, I love my new toy.. I plan on wearing it for a whole day soon to see what an entire day is like... I'm also going to wear it while I clean my house and see how high my HR gets doing that!

One last thing... I also noticed that after my workout, my resting HR stayed in the mid to high 80s for a good while after my workout.. further proof that working out boosts your metabolism and has you burning more calories even after the workout is done!

YEAH!:drinker: :drinker:

petunia

shamelessly bumping myself b/c I haven't gotten any responses to this yet... just wondering if anyone knows anything about the HR monitor and those 'ranges' they give you???

StrawberryMargarita

I glad to hear how it went. I was checking to see when you got it and tried it out. I knew that a new person who never had one before would tell how it was. Sounds like it went well. You didn't have a problem with cross over from other people I take it. I am so trying to figure out which one I want.
I keep checking Amazon (seems to be best place) but it is hard when you cant see it for real. And not many places out here have them (at least with sales people who know whats up).
Good question you asked, I will check back to see what others say.

inadelirium

I just bought a HRM recently also, I opted for the F6. Primarily because of the color choices ( I love green! ) but I also do spin class and didn't want to have to run the risk of cross communication between monitors. I love it so far, and from what I hear if group exercise isn't your thing the F4 is probably a good choice.

Oh and I got mine off an awesome website that did overnight shipping for free!

http://www.polar-usa-sales.com/

StrawberryMargarita

I just bought a HRM recently also, I opted for the F6. Primarily because of the color choices ( I love green! ) but I also do spin class and didn't want to have to run the risk of cross communication between monitors. I love it so far, and from what I hear if group exercise isn't your thing the F4 is probably a good choice.

Oh and I got mine off an awesome website that did overnight shipping for free!

http://www.polar-usa-sales.com/

was looking at that site also, and I was kind of looking at the F6 also, but because I love the color of the pink one.:laugh:

StrawberryMargarita

UPDATE!!!!! (sorry, this is a little long)

OK, so I got my new F4 yesterday in the mail... I had that sucker ripped open and working within minutes... it was perfect timing, because Wednesdays are step class day, and I really wanted to know how many calories I'm burning in my class!

So, I've been taking this class regularly (2 times a week) for over a year. So, I knew it was a good workout.. according to THIS site, I was burning around 700 calories...

so I strap on the monitor and it immediately starts reading my HR - resting HR was in the 70s.. I left it on as I drove to my class... stayed in the 70s the whole time (I tell you watching the thing is addicting). I got to my class, reset it for the beginning of the class... and off I went!

According to the 'watch' my heart rate zone based upon my age is 120 to 157. It took me a few minutes in the warmup to get to 120, but once I was there I quickly went into the 140s... By the time my workout ended, I registered 656 caloris burned, with an average HR of 154 and a high of 171... :happy:

This is where I have questions for you heart rate monitor experts out there...

I think the range is a little low... there were a few times during my workout where I looked down at my watch and I would be in the low 160s (which is technically outside the range), but I was totally fine... not overly winded and could still carry on a conversation... I definitely have a wall around 170 tho.. I could tell without even looking at my watch when I was getting to that point...

so my questions are this (sorry it's taking me forever to get to the point) - may sound like a stupid question, but the higher your HR the more calories you burn, right? So, if I could, to get the most out of my workout (and burn the most calories) I should get to my high HR and stay there as long as I can, right? Is there anything to the 'ranges' that say to burn fat you should be in the lower range?? If that's the case, then I wouldn't burn as many calories and I don't think I could handle going 'slow' to keep my heart rate that low???????

Regardless, I love my new toy.. I plan on wearing it for a whole day soon to see what an entire day is like... I'm also going to wear it while I clean my house and see how high my HR gets doing that!

One last thing... I also noticed that after my workout, my resting HR stayed in the mid to high 80s for a good while after my workout.. further proof that working out boosts your metabolism and has you burning more calories even after the workout is done!

YEAH!:drinker: :drinker:

Just bumping her question so it gets seen.

johnsscarlett

I bought my F6 through ebay for $99 no bidding no S&H. Got it in two days. I am really happy with it. It's pink!

shorerider

You should follow the guidelines for staying within your optimum heart range. Staying too long at max or close to it can be potentially dangerous (think heart attack possibility--I know a guy who died recently working out on a treadmill). I've read a lot about the "fat zone" and not sure about it. Basically, the consensus seems to be the best way is to perhaps alternate during work-out. Some slower, some faster but not always fast and not always slow. Depends on what you're doing, too.

MiaEllie

yeah! I'm so excited! I can't wait for it to get here...

Anyone ever worn it all day to get a 'full day' reading?? Would that be accurate??

I've been using my F4 since Nov. 2007 and like it very much. I was curious about the cals. that I burn just doing nothing for 24hrs. I wore it for 24 hours one day. I put it on and started it at 12:00 midnight (slept with it going) and kept it going until 12:00 midnight the next night (by the way, I slept for 10 hours). I didn't do any physical activity that whole day... I just sat around at home and watched TV. I feel that the monitor is usually pretty accurate about the cals. I burn while working out and I've lost a lot of weight while using it, however, at the end of the 24 hrs. it read that I had burned 2,400 cals! My estimated BMR is around 1,475 cals a day (based on info from My Fitness Pal tools). I really don't think the HR monitor was accurate at all. Maybe it isn't meant to measure cals. burned over such long periods of time?

You could try the same thing and I'm curious what your reading would be?!:huh:

MiaEllie

so I strap on the monitor and it immediately starts reading my HR - resting HR was in the 70s..

so my questions are this (sorry it's taking me forever to get to the point) - may sound like a stupid question, but the higher your HR the more calories you burn, right? So, if I could, to get the most out of my workout (and burn the most calories) I should get to my high HR and stay there as long as I can, right? Is there anything to the 'ranges' that say to burn fat you should be in the lower range?? If that's the case, then I wouldn't burn as many calories and I don't think I could handle going 'slow' to keep my heart rate that low???????

I have some info that I think might help with this as well...
My fitness trainer recommended that to get an accurate reading of your resting heart rate you should take your pulse for one minute the first thing in the morning before you get out of bed. Do this for three mornings and then average the readings, That should be your true resting heart rate.

Then, for your heart rate zone goals:

Train at 60%-70% of your MHR (Maximum Heart Rate) for weight loss.
Train at 70%-80% of your MHR (Maximum Heart Rate) for cardio-vascular conditioning.

There is a formula you can use to figure this stuff out:

FIRST, get your Maximum Heart Rate by taking the number 226 (for women) or 220 (for men) and subtract your age.

Mine is: 226 - 35 = 191

Then figure your Heart Rate Reserve:
Maximum Heart Rate minus your Resting Heart Rate = HHR (Heart Rate Reserve)
MHR-RHR = HHR

example: 191-67 = 124

Then use these formulas:

Weight Loss:
Lower Target Heart Rate: (HRR x 60%) + RHR =
Higher Target Heart Rate: (HRR x 70%) + RHR=

CardioVascular:
Lower Target Heart Rate: (HRR x 70%) + RHR =
Higher Target Heart Rate: (HRR x 80%) + RHR =

Example:
My heart rate weight loss zone is 141-153
(124 x 60%) + 67 = 141 for my lower target zone for weight loss
(124 x 70%) + 67 = 153 for my higher target zone for weight loss

Hope this isn't too complicated and is helpful good luck!

petunia

I glad to hear how it went. I was checking to see when you got it and tried it out. I knew that a new person who never had one before would tell how it was. Sounds like it went well. You didn't have a problem with cross over from other people I take it. I am so trying to figure out which one I want.
I keep checking Amazon (seems to be best place) but it is hard when you cant see it for real. And not many places out here have them (at least with sales people who know whats up).
Good question you asked, I will check back to see what others say.

I didn't have any problems with cross over, at least not yet... I am in a group environment when I do my step class, so I hope it doesn't become an issue...

I bought mine off Ebay, I got it for $65, including shipping... had it within a few days...

petunia

yeah! I'm so excited! I can't wait for it to get here...

Anyone ever worn it all day to get a 'full day' reading?? Would that be accurate??

I've been using my F4 since Nov. 2007 and like it very much. I was curious about the cals. that I burn just doing nothing for 24hrs. I wore it for 24 hours one day. I put it on and started it at 12:00 midnight (slept with it going) and kept it going until 12:00 midnight the next night (by the way, I slept for 10 hours). I didn't do any physical activity that whole day... I just sat around at home and watched TV. I feel that the monitor is usually pretty accurate about the cals. I burn while working out and I've lost a lot of weight while using it, however, at the end of the 24 hrs. it read that I had burned 2,400 cals! My estimated BMR is around 1,475 cals a day (based on info from My Fitness Pal tools). I really don't think the HR monitor was accurate at all. Maybe it isn't meant to measure cals. burned over such long periods of time?

You could try the same thing and I'm curious what your reading would be?!:huh:

I plan on trying it for a 24 hour period... I might do it tomorrow... well let you know what it does! I wore it today while I was cleaning my house for 2 hours... burned 450 calories.. don't know what to compare that to when I'm just sitting at my desk for 2 hours... will have to see I guess!!

Thanks for the info!

petunia

so I strap on the monitor and it immediately starts reading my HR - resting HR was in the 70s..

so my questions are this (sorry it's taking me forever to get to the point) - may sound like a stupid question, but the higher your HR the more calories you burn, right? So, if I could, to get the most out of my workout (and burn the most calories) I should get to my high HR and stay there as long as I can, right? Is there anything to the 'ranges' that say to burn fat you should be in the lower range?? If that's the case, then I wouldn't burn as many calories and I don't think I could handle going 'slow' to keep my heart rate that low???????

I have some info that I think might help with this as well...
My fitness trainer recommended that to get an accurate reading of your resting heart rate you should take your pulse for one minute the first thing in the morning before you get out of bed. Do this for three mornings and then average the readings, That should be your true resting heart rate.

Then, for your heart rate zone goals:

Train at 60%-70% of your MHR (Maximum Heart Rate) for weight loss.
Train at 70%-80% of your MHR (Maximum Heart Rate) for cardio-vascular conditioning.

There is a formula you can use to figure this stuff out:

FIRST, get your Maximum Heart Rate by taking the number 226 (for women) or 220 (for men) and subtract your age.

Mine is: 226 - 35 = 191

Then figure your Heart Rate Reserve:
Maximum Heart Rate minus your Resting Heart Rate = HHR (Heart Rate Reserve)
MHR-RHR = HHR

example: 191-67 = 124

Then use these formulas:

Weight Loss:
Lower Target Heart Rate: (HRR x 60%) + RHR =
Higher Target Heart Rate: (HRR x 70%) + RHR=

CardioVascular:
Lower Target Heart Rate: (HRR x 70%) + RHR =
Higher Target Heart Rate: (HRR x 80%) + RHR =

Example:
My heart rate weight loss zone is 141-153
(124 x 60%) + 67 = 141 for my lower target zone for weight loss
(124 x 70%) + 67 = 153 for my higher target zone for weight loss

Hope this isn't too complicated and is helpful good luck!

This is awesome information.. thank you! I'll take my pulse in the AM for the next few days and see how it works out.. I'm 35 also, so I have a feeling our numbers might be really close!!

Thanks again!

littlespoon

I am thinking of buying one too, I would be interested to hear how your "all-day" wear went.

petunia

I am thinking of buying one too, I would be interested to hear how your "all-day" wear went.

Well, I'm not sure... :huh:

I wore it (almost) 24 hours... the chest strap fell off of me somewhere in the night (but I think towards morning) and stopped counting calories... when it stopped it was at 2200...

This seems really high to me, considering I puposely wore it on a day I didn't exercise... I have a sedentary job, but I chase my kids around in the evenings... so I suppose it's possible that 2200 is accurate, but seems a little high...

basically, I decided to wear the monitor when I'm exercising, and even sometimes when I'm not, but I know I'm going to be more active than normal (cleaning the house, playing outside with the kids, etc).

I love having it for exercise (confirmed I'm burning about 600 calories in my step class)... I find it keeps me honest and not 'resting' too long during class - it keeps you conscious of your heart rate and keeping it up!

All in all, I'm happy with my purchase... :bigsmile: