My first HRM watch

azwen

I wasn't sure if I would really wear a chest strap, but I wanted to be able to check my heart rate when lifting, hiking, and doing other activities besides the treadmill at the gym, so I started looking into other options. I thought a pedometer would be useful, and a good way to motivate myself to be more active outside the gym. Since I know Costco has a great return policy, I ended up buying the Smart Health Walking Fit from their website. I've had it for a week or so.

The HR is pretty accurate; it's within 2-3 beats of the gym treadmill, so I figure it's doing well enough to tell me if I'm in the right range. The pedometer is a little off; low sensitivity undercounts my steps by about 6%, whereas medium overcounts by about the same amount. Close enough to deal with.

The big problem is the calorie estimate. I hiked (up and down a desert hill/mountain) for 45 minutes yesterday. My HR varied from 119-162, depending on the incline I was hiking at the time. The watch said I burned about 800 calories! There's no way that's right. I'm thinking it can't be more than 300. It's a great workout, because there is a great incline, lots of rocks and uneven terrain, so I use a lot of different muscles, besides the cardio work. But I'm bummed that it seems like the calorie estimate on the watch will be of no use.

I would LOVE to get an Amiigo; I think I just might. But they don't come out until April. I love the idea of having something I can wear for any workout, to get information. And HR with no chest strap!

In the meantime, what would you do if you were me? Keep the watch I have, and just use it for HR and approx. steps? Or is there another HR watch (no chest strap) that estimates calories fairly accurately for about $40? (I used Christmas money to buy the watch.)

Thanks!