What is really worth spending $$ on?

Ange_

I got a Suunto M4 heart rate monitor. I love it because not only does it measure your HR but it also plans how much exercise and at what level each week to loose your goal weight or to get to a goal fitness. it also does fitness tests.

It works pretty well as a watch too. So i get to wake up in the morning and it tells me if it is an exercise day or not and how long and how hard i should work out that day.

i totally recommend it.

peteyTwang

whatever gets you moving...right?
i really do like my HRM - but i also love every other little gadget , gear or piece of clothing ( i might as well be sponsored by adidas and nike with all the 'sporty' stuff i wear!) -- so as much as i love the POLAR FT7 i also love my running shoes, my inline and ice skates, bike, iPhone fitness apps etc. etc. etc...
so the short answer is YES a good solid HRM that will work for you for your specific activities is great -- but if you don't think you're going to use it -- it's not worth a cent

sassylilmama

Thanks for the help everyone. I bought a FT7 using some discounted ebay gift cards, was able to get for about 1/2 price. :happy:

lovinmamaxo

I just ordered a new scale with awesome reviews now looking for a great HRM.

kbanzhaf

Hi,

The best purchase I made was a treadmill. Bought a nice used one from a friend for $200. It has worked WONDERFULLY for the last four years, and it was after beginning to use it (so I could walk in the winter) that people started noticing that I was losing weight.

I buy a new pair of good walking shoes every year, but should buy them MUCH more frequently if you follow the recommendations of buying new ones at certain mile intervals (like 300 or something....should be buying four pairs a year....can't afford that!)

Kaye

CaraRadz

My food scale, my HRM, and my regular scale have been really important tools for me in terms of accuracy.

For an HRM, I have the Polar FT7 (~$100). (FT4 is also great, I hear... just make sure if you get one it has a chest strap)

I got my food scale at Target for $25. Turns out I could have gotten it for cheaper on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Biggest-Loser-Kitchen-Platform/dp/B001DQOEIE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302277262&sr=8-1

I have an Eat Smart scale that I bought on Amazon for $29 (free shipping). Someone on here recommended it to me: http://www.amazon.com/EatSmart-Precision-Digital-Bathroom-Technology/dp/B001KXZ808/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299856839&sr=8-1

bmontgomery87

I always make sure I have the money for a multivitamin, fish oils, and joint support supplements.
And protein powder.

Lanfear

1. Good shoes. Go get fitted at a runners store.
2. A HRM. Mine is a New Balance from Target. LOVE it. It does have the chest strap
3. A good bra. I'm STILL searching for this one, however.

I can recommend the Freya sports bras, they're really good - I am an E cup and my Freya has pretty much eliminated ALL bouncing!! If you're in the UK check out www.lessbounce.com. Believe someone else has also mentioned Enell - they get pretty good reviews as well.

And on topic - best buys for me have been:

(1) Polar FT4 HRM - this one does have a chest strap. It's brilliant - definitely "my precious" LOL
(2) Decent sports bra - for the first time ever - amazing difference!
(3) 30 Shred and TurboFire DVD sets and some resistance bands

knittnponder

I started this with no HRM and lost a couple of pounds the first few weeks. Then it slowed and I suspected that MFP was giving me way more exercise calories than what I was really burning. Then I bought P90X and started working that program. I knew that the 3,000 calories their nutrition program wanted me to eat was WAY over the top so after questioning a few people about how they did P90X and still managed to lose some weight I determined that I would need to figure out how many calories I was actually burning and then just stick to my MFP allowance plus calories burned.

Then my sweet husband bought me the HRM I wanted (and was going to ask for as a Mother's Day gift). I am a spreadsheet kind of girl so I plugged in all my weight loss by date and plotted my calories eaten/burned. I can look at that graph and tell you exactly when I bought my HRM based on the changed in how quickly my weight began coming off. So for me (one who does eat back my calories) the HRM is an invaluable tool. It's a far better estimator than me or MFP.

The other item is a scale. It is much more accurate than measuring by cup or counting pieces and keeps me accountable (no fudging it with a scale!)

Gerkenstein

I know the majority of people on MFP use and love Polar HRMs, but I have the Timex Personal Trainer T5G971, which was rated the best on Consumer Reports, and I LOVE it! It comes with a chest strap, watch (fits large wrists and has a great band to hold the extra piece of strap [does that make sense?]), and a couple instructional books to set it up and stuff. And you can change the battery yourself which I know you can't do with some of the Polars (have to send it in to the manufacturer). Around $50 in store, can get it for $35 online. I got the gel to put on the chest strap so it reads my heart rate more accurately and I've never had problems with it. I LOVE IT!

That said, I've never used a Polar so I can't speak to their functionality.

Good luck with the decision!

Tzavush

Maybe a stupid question...but for someone who is doing swimming as most of their activity, are there waterproof/resistant HRM's that can be worn to measure accurately the burn from doing laps?

momof3babes

I would absolutely spend money on an HRM again. I didn't want to for the longest time,but would be lost without it now. I actually feel like it motivates me to workout because I can challenge myself to burn more than the last time and I know the readings are much more accurate. I bought mine for $65 on ebay. Brand new. Polar Ft4.

elliecolorado

For me a good pair of shoes is the most important thing.

musicoflife08

Where can you go for proper workout shoes, and about how much should you spend?

taletreader

Maybe a stupid question...but for someone who is doing swimming as most of their activity, are there waterproof/resistant HRM's that can be worn to measure accurately the burn from doing laps?

I think many of the Polar ones are waterproof or at least reasonably water-resistant. I know someone who uses one (F6? not sure!) in the pool. If I were you I'd look up the specs on Polar's site.