HRM

minsch

I don't have one....do I need one? If so what does it need to do? I saw Aldi's has one right now....I think it was like 24.99. I have a fitbit but I have stopped using it so I am worried that maybe I wouldn't use a HRM? I dunno....any thoughts?

YAYJules

Why would you want a HRM when you have a fitbit? It keeps track of HR already, doesn't it? (Honest question, not meant to be snarky)

sannsk

Why would you want a HRM when you have a fitbit? It keeps track of HR already, doesn't it? (Honest question, not meant to be snarky)

No, I think a fitbut just measures your steps and flights of stairs climbed...

hellmama5

i invested in a suunto hrm. it has the chest band and at first i thought that would be uncomfortable, but it slides up under my sports bra and isn't really noticeable. my workouts are at a new level! many gym machines are not completely accurate to the user and I see a difference of 15-30 kcal either up or down. also, i know my target heart-rate zone so i try to stay between those levels, and the machines were telling me my hr was higher, so i would slow down. now, i know exactly how i am doing and can gauge my intensity for my workout goal. it makes sense to have one if you workout at home without a computer monitoring your effort, and also if you take studio classes--like zumba or trx. the numbers on mfp aren't very accurate. it was one of my best investments!

in addition, a gymboss interval timer, a great pair of gym shoes and workout clothes (that cover all my works in progress), have made a huge difference for me. have a wonderful time working out! have fun, it burns more calories!!

minsch

Fitbit doesn't do HR just steps, stairs, sleep.....they have new ones now but I don't if they do HR either. Hmmm....I think the one at Aldi's is just a watch....it might not be very accurate.

Theresafinallygetsitright

i invested in a suunto hrm. it has the chest band and at first i thought that would be uncomfortable, but it slides up under my sports bra and isn't really noticeable. my workouts are at a new level! many gym machines are not completely accurate to the user and I see a difference of 15-30 kcal either up or down. also, i know my target heart-rate zone so i try to stay between those levels, and the machines were telling me my hr was higher, so i would slow down. now, i know exactly how i am doing and can gauge my intensity for my workout goal. it makes sense to have one if you workout at home without a computer monitoring your effort, and also if you take studio classes--like zumba or trx. the numbers on mfp aren't very accurate. it was one of my best investments!

in addition, a gymboss interval timer, a great pair of gym shoes and workout clothes (that cover all my works in progress), have made a huge difference for me. have a wonderful time working out! have fun, it burns more calories!!

a lot of good points here that I don't want to repeat. As far as expense for one, I have a low $ one and a high $ one that syncs with my pc so I can assess graphs, charts and such. I would start with the low $ one but with a chest strap - mine was less than $50 at walmart with chest strap. Although I do love my polar ft80, if you arent sure you will continue using it, go with the cheaper option.

Jerodhold

I just got a HRM last month, it's the kind that straps around just under the chest, it's awesome, mine was about $70 or so but it was worth it, it does everything. after a workout it'll tell you how long you were in your target HR zone and how many calories you burn thru out the work out, which is great, I found out that I burn about 3 times as much then what MFP tells me for my weight training. I would highly reccomend getting one.

YAYJules

Silly question maybe, but can you use one of these while swimming?

Dreamerlove

I just got one after 2 years in my fitness journey. I'm about 5-10 pounds away from my goal, so I feel I need one now to help me to the finish line. Mine is a polar ft7, it was $102.00 but it has the chest strap and I love it.

SoulReckoning

I just got a POLAR H7 HRM. I've had a Polar HRM before and it lasted a long time. The cool thing about the H7 is it connects to your iPhone using bluetooth, so you don't have to wear a watch or receiver, and it connects to endomondo, which connects to MFP. This is how I work my devices:

I also have a fitbit one, which I use all day every day & night to track regular calories, steps, and my sleep. I am very sedentary at work because I have a desk job, so It's important for me to try and remain active throughout the day. Since fitbit connects to MFP, I get a regular deduction of how my normal day fits into my "lifestyle" compared to my calories, etc. on MFP.

But, I wanted to know how good of a work out I was really getting, because I tend to do like 10 minutes, and be like 'oh I'm tired and out of shape, at least I tried, 10 minutes will do for today". So, I got the H7, and now I know (I wasn't working nearly hard enough). I take off my fitbit and put on the H7 when I work out for a more accurate count of how many calories I burned. The first time I used it, I was amazed. It pairs easily, it works well. It's very motivating to see my calories burned so far, it keeps me going further! Everything sincs up nicely too. It's great for everything to be so automated, it makes doing this more enjoyable for me because I'm a tech junkie. But hopefully, the increase in 'data' will fulfill your needs too!

Dreamerlove

I should explain more. My HRM tells me when I am in my "fitness Zone" and "fat burning". Fitness zone is cardio and fat burning zone doesn't really burn a lot of calories. So before I though just doing 30 mins on the elliptical and not reaching my "fitness zone" was okay. But I need to push hard to reach my goal.

sannsk

Silly question maybe, but can you use one of these while swimming?

I use a Polar F6 with chest strap for swimming, works great. I don't know if other types/models can do this. I think it depends on the brand/model/...

jacksonpt

No, they aren't necessary. If you don't know what they do, you certainly don't need one. Some can be used for swimming, some can't.

hellmama5

i bought my suunto on theclymb.com, so it wasn't over 100 bucks like the website indicates. it is not used for swimming, and while it can get wet/washed, it says not intended for swimming.