Old School vs. Techie?

chanstriste13

I have seen a lot of people using heart rate monitors and other gadgety kinds of things on here. They all sound pretty cool, and I'm debating on whether to invest. I am pretty old school with my workouts - I time myself with a stopwatch, measure distance with the telephone poles in my neighborhood, etc. I don't have my exact heart rate/distance for anything. Does anyone know if there is a significant difference in using the gadgets or not? Do they help keep you on track a good deal? Basically, do you think they are worth the cost?

LongMom

Everytime I ask an exercise question I get the same answer "Get a Heart Rate Monitor" - so I think the consencus (sp?) around here is YES, they're worth it.

That said, I'm on a tight budget, so it's not exactly in the cards for me. I'm exercising and estimating the calories and losing at a very good and steady pace, so I'm not stressing over it!

Avandel

If you buy one, get one that also counts calories because everyone burns differently for a variety of reasons. I find it invaluable if you want a true reading for any exercise calories burned.



Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

dbg1

The gadgets help to achieve a more accurate tracking of your results. They are not required but some people use them as a security blanket. Anything that calulates calories burned is based on a formula so it is still an approximation.

Do what you feel is right for you. Any style of monitoring your progress will assist you. Scale, measurements, size changes, running more poles in the same time.

The key is changing to a healthy lifestyle. Weight is not the goal. It comes with time, but living a longer, healthier life is what we strive for.
:flowerforyou:

michlingle

If you're losing weight, don't get one. If you're not really losing much weight, then I would suggest it..

mrsbeck

I love my heart rate monitor. That said, if tracking your results old-school is working for you, I wouldn't worry about changing anything.

An HRM is not a necessary tool for weight loss. I like mine because I need data...I need to know that burned X amount of calories, because I'm lazy. If I can't look at my monitor and know that this treadmill torture is actually getting me somewhere, I won't exercise. I crave results,and since weight loss is such a slow process, the instant gratification of "running sucks, but hey-I burned 500 calories!!" really helps motivate me.

Good ones are expensive (I have the Polar F6, it cost 100 bucks in 2008) so don't buy one just because other people say you should have one.

kgasser

I have a bodybugg...which I love...and it count how many calories you are burning no matter what you are doing...for example, I generally burn around 1.5 calories per minute when I am sleeping, but up around 1.4 playing at computer, as opposed to around 1.9 when I am up walking around. I generally burn about 300 calories per day more than MFP gives me, even if I am sitting at the computer lierally ALL day, for example when I have a 10 page paper due that night and haven't even started it! On a normal day I burn at least 600 more than MFP gives me and that doesn't include exercise. Sooooo...I would say, yes it is worth every dime if the choice is between a BB and say a couple new outfits...if ithe choice is between a BB and your rent...stick with what you are doing!

Just my 2 cents worth!