Polar Heart Monitor VS 24 Hr Fit Machine vs Online Calc?

peterdt

i'm a bit confused. still trying to understand my polar heart monitor vs the machines at 24 hour fitness. Today my average heart rate was 122 and my watch says 523 calories burned. the machines actually pickup the polar signal. I enter my stats there too and the machines say I am burning about 810 calories. this is a huge difference. The bottom line is weight loss right? but still... i'd like to know which is accurate? I would expect some discrepancy but not this much. the online estimators calculate an even higher calorie burn. there must be a reasonable answer to this. any insight out there?

peterdt

okay, did some research. found the answer to my own question. bottom line: the heart rate monitor is by far the most accurate, but even that is typically only 75% accurate.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/490909-the-accuracy-of-calories-burned-in-polar-heart-rate-monitors/

http://forum.polar.fi/showthread.php?p=51737

So, the calorie burn for exercise that I have been entering is not accurate. But there are other huge benefits to exercise of course like...
1. feeling a lot better in so many ways.
2. increasing life expectancy and quality of life dramatically
3. decreasing the likelihood of heart disease, stroke, and many other diseases dramatically.
4. Mental ability is increased.

probably a lot more, just can't think of them off the top of my head.

ho ho ho. santa is hitting the elliptical hard.