"Wogging" and heart rate monitor

charlie's girl

I have been working out fairly regularly for 6 months+, but I haven't seen much progress. I was using a treadmill and an elliptical machine at the gym. I spoke with a trainer at the gym and he suggested that I buy a HEART RATE MONITOR. This has made a huge impact on my motiviation!! It beeps at me whenever I need to speed up or slow down (drives my husband, who is my walking partner, nuts....but I LOVE it!!).
I signed up for the Memorial Day Fitness Challenge and tomorrow is my first weigh-in day since I started. I'm nervous and excited!! I hope I've lost at least 2 pounds. I've been logging in faithfully every day, but I did have one cheat day (It was a MESS!) I didn't beat myself up though, I just said, "Tomorrow is a new day, and I WILL be successful." And guess what? I was!!
I first joined this site MFP, a week ago when I signed up for the Fitness Challenge. On that day, my husband and I decided to start "wogging" each day around our subdivision's walking path, rather than going to the gym (since the weather had improved finally here in Idaho). Wogging is a made-up term, which means walking until my heart rate monitor starts beeping and then doing a slow jog until it starts beeping at me again. We have done this EVERY day, except for one. I love it!! We go for 3 miles each time, and my heart strength is really improving already. One lap around our walking path is .75 miles and I'm now able to jog about 1/5 of the way around before I have to walk again. This is a HUGE improvement since I started. My goal is to be able to do a whole lap without walking by Memorial Day.
Let me tell you, it's very difficult to stay motivated during the first lap each day. I hurt a little, I'm out of breath, and I have a poor attitude. But the nice thing is, since it's not a treadmill.....there's only one way to get back to the beginning....hoofin' it!! Talk about motivation!

I love this site!!

charlie's girl

I have been working out fairly regularly for 6 months+, but I haven't seen much progress. I was using a treadmill and an elliptical machine at the gym. I spoke with a trainer at the gym and he suggested that I buy a HEART RATE MONITOR. This has made a huge impact on my motiviation!! It beeps at me whenever I need to speed up or slow down (drives my husband, who is my walking partner, nuts....but I LOVE it!!).
I signed up for the Memorial Day Fitness Challenge and tomorrow is my first weigh-in day since I started. I'm nervous and excited!! I hope I've lost at least 2 pounds. I've been logging in faithfully every day, but I did have one cheat day (It was a MESS!) I didn't beat myself up though, I just said, "Tomorrow is a new day, and I WILL be successful." And guess what? I was!!
I first joined this site MFP, a week ago when I signed up for the Fitness Challenge. On that day, my husband and I decided to start "wogging" each day around our subdivision's walking path, rather than going to the gym (since the weather had improved finally here in Idaho). Wogging is a made-up term, which means walking until my heart rate monitor starts beeping and then doing a slow jog until it starts beeping at me again. We have done this EVERY day, except for one. I love it!! We go for 3 miles each time, and my heart strength is really improving already. One lap around our walking path is .75 miles and I'm now able to jog about 1/5 of the way around before I have to walk again. This is a HUGE improvement since I started. My goal is to be able to do a whole lap without walking by Memorial Day.
Let me tell you, it's very difficult to stay motivated during the first lap each day. I hurt a little, I'm out of breath, and I have a poor attitude. But the nice thing is, since it's not a treadmill.....there's only one way to get back to the beginning....hoofin' it!! Talk about motivation!

I love this site!!

MontanaGirl

Wogging - :laugh: - I love it!!! I'll have to use that term - hopefully the weather will continue to get better here in MT and I can go wogging in the a.m. instead of just doing my video!! Congrats on your progress :flowerforyou:

kristie874

I love that idea! I've heard a LOT about heart rate monitors but you've JUST convinced me to buy one! I've tried doing the walk 2 min, jog 1 min thing on my treadmill but I just get lazy. I think just paying attention to the heart rate monitor will be PERFECT! So much easier, especially since it's REALLY hard to constantly check your pulse while you're working out without stopping! Do you recommend any brands over others? Do they all beep at you? Do you have it set to a certain target heart rate (fat buring, cardio, etc?)? Sorry for all of the questions! I just, all of a sudden, got excited about this heart rate monitor thing! Thank you!

natileebee

I love my heart rate monitor too. I started using it 11 weeks ago and it doesn't let me cheat. I've had to start running to get my heart rate up. I would normaly not run, but the monitor let me know it was time to bump it up. Plus it is more accurate then the monitors that are built into the machines at the gym. I love the Wogging term. I have worked up to running for 10 minutes, but then I have to start walking again. Have fun with the wogging!

edyta

I bought polar f6 heart rate monitor about a week ago and I love it.
First of all this is the best way to see how many calories I actually burn and I know that a good circuit training is much better than cardio
Secondly I know how hard I should work.

I've heard that Polar is quite expensive but it's a good brand.
I think you don't have to go for the most complicated model (mine is more than enough) but good brand is usually good quality.

Yes, all of them should "beep" at you :laugh:
Yes, you have to set target rate (ex. 60-70% or 70-80%)

cgallen916

I would like to know what kind of monitor you have as well. I have been looking at them recently and if you could recommend a brand, or tell us what brand you have, that would be great!

charlie's girl

Hi! Glad to help. I feel like I've been doing all of the taking on this site, with very little giving.....so it's time to give back.
I bought mine at a sports and fitness store. It's a Polar T-31 Coded. It straps around your chest and then you wear a special watch. It cost me about $100. They have cheaper ones, but they warned me that if you are wanting to use them at a gym and other people have monitors on too, then yours might not work as accurately. So I went with the more expensive one. It's definitely been worth it.
You can program everything in. It comes with instructions. You can change them as you increase in fitness level too. You can choose the beep volume (plus you can mute it and just look at it every now and then...which is what I now do when I walk with my husband).

Good luck and stick with it, girl! You can do it!!

charlie's girl

Just another side note....if any of you are not able to jog (or even wog yet).....never fear. There are other ways to keep your heart rate up. My sister (who is much heavier than me) uses ankle weights and does some boxing punches while she walks, because she is not yet able to jog.

barefootbabe

I have a Polar F11 and absolutely adore it. It does a fitness test on you as well as setting weekly fitness goals, which, if you reach, it gives you a little trophy display which sounds silly but is very motivating! It files all of your workouts daily and weekly and all this can be transmitted to your computer, too.

I love it to death- in Australia it retails for $299, but I think in the States you can get it for around $160.

may_marie

I have been looking at heartrate monitors as well,
I am looking for one that doesnt need a strap ... and gives continous heart rate ?
its seems it would be easy to have them with a sensor around your wrist ?
does that exist or am i just too picky??

may