Need Advice on HRM

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afgivens4
afgivens4 Posts: 117
in Fitness and Exercise
1. OK, so I am going to buy a HRM or a FitBit or something... but don't know which one or what kind. I want something I can wear constantly; keeping track of heart rate, calories burned, etc. I want something I can wear in the water, (because I swim a lot), and on the bike when I go riding. Any and All Suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

2. My resting heart rate is in mid 50's. When I exercise, it goes to 90's. All information I read says I need my heart rate in the 120's at least to burn fat. I am pushing my body as hard as I am willing at this now, and getting short of breath. Is my exercise in vain and not burning any extra calories?

I am 5 foot 3 inches, 33% body fat, and weigh 183 pounds.....

Replies

  • msperkey3
    msperkey3 Posts: 93 Member
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    I have a fitBit and wear it daily...it does not tell your heart rate. It tells calories burned, steps taken, flights of stairs, and even sleep. I also have a polar (think its an ft7 or something like that) I wear it every time I exercise it counts my calories burned and heart rate. I love them both!
  • icculus19
    icculus19 Posts: 39
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    im not sure about the water but i have the garmin HRM that with all their GPS watches and with their GPS devises for bikers. it gives you your heart rate as well as cals burned. its great for zone training and to know how cals i actually burned if i do cardio on the treadmil on any other cardio devise in the gym. i also use it to detremine cals burned during weight training. it costs about $65 but you can get it cheaper on amazon
  • afgivens4
    afgivens4 Posts: 117
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    Thank You! Any one else have a favorite? Or an answer to number 2.... lol
  • ToughMudderAddict
    ToughMudderAddict Posts: 290 Member
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    I have a TimeX Ironman Triathlon which is 2 pieces, the watch which I wear ALL the time because it actually looks decent and the heart rate monitor which is a chest strap that is waterproof and sweat proof and all that good stuff. I love it, I don't work out without it and it tells me lap times, calories burned, max heart rate, min heart rate, average heart rate, my recovery time, calories burned, average lap, best lap, how long I spent in the heart rate zone I wanted... ok so it tells me A LOT.

    As for your second question, I would definitely NOT say that your exercise is in vain. As you push yourself harder and your body gets used to being pushed you'll be able to do more and do more intense workouts so your heart isn't thinking you're trying to kill it :) Basically, you'll get used to it and be able to move on up..
  • afgivens4
    afgivens4 Posts: 117
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    Thank you. That sounds close to what I am looking for.
    :smile:
  • afgivens4
    afgivens4 Posts: 117
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    Does anyone have any other suggestions/?????????????
  • MikeInAZ
    MikeInAZ Posts: 483 Member
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    Good heart rate monitors require you to wear a chest strap. You're not going to want to wear that all day. Look into. The. Bodybugg or bodymedia arm bands, they don't do your HR, but are pretty accurate. Then get yourself a polar ft4 or ft7 hrm. Wear it during your workouts to track your hr and your calories burned. The polar is water proof. Fit it just tracks steps btw

    Your max hr based on your age is 191. You should strive to get to85% of that which would be 162 or more. Keep your hr up there for 12 to 20 minutes during a 60 min workout and you will see good results. How have you been testin your hr up until now? If 95 is your max you can get to you must be a world class athlete. I'm guessing youre testing wrong. Or you're really not pushing yourself as much as you think. Try a treadmill at 15% at 5mph for a couple of minutes, you'll be huffing and puffing!

    Good luck! Mike
  • mmcgille
    mmcgille Posts: 60 Member
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    LOVE my Polar FT4. It has a chest strap, so it's pretty accurate. Easy to read and get started. LOVE IT.
  • frankos72
    frankos72 Posts: 11
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    I hope it's okay too hijack this a little.

    I'm wanting the same as the OP. My question is, can I wear a hrm all day and night to get a truly accurate measure of my daily calories burned? Our, it's it better to use a fitbit for daily use and hrm just for workouts?
  • Savemyshannon
    Savemyshannon Posts: 334 Member
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    I hope it's okay too hijack this a little.

    I'm wanting the same as the OP. My question is, can I wear a hrm all day and night to get a truly accurate measure of my daily calories burned? Our, it's it better to use a fitbit for daily use and hrm just for workouts?

    I use my HRM for my workouts and my Fitbit for daily activities, if only because I don't feel like wasting battery on my HRM by wearing it all day.

    To the OP, I have an FT60 and I LOVE it. When you first get it, it does a fitness test to learn your resting rate, and then it will give you personalized heart rate targets based on your age, weight, and fitness level. Getting an HRM with a fitness test like capability may be an option for you, because then it can determine your own levels instead of following a textbook number. My FT60 has my zone 2 at much higher than another person at my age/weight, because I was in pretty poor shape when I started and so my resting HR was much higher.

    Good luck!
  • meghanner
    meghanner Posts: 180 Member
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    I just got a Garmin 210. I also have a fit bit and was shocked to see how much I had been OVERESTIMATING my calorie burn. The fitbit is off by upwards of 60% at times. I'd recommend if you are trying to track calories in-out, get a HRM and adjust your diet accordingly. Hope this helps.
  • tobeftmom
    tobeftmom Posts: 52
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    I also have a ft4 polar hrm and love it. It's easy to use also.
  • sun33082
    sun33082 Posts: 416 Member
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    I have a Polar FT7 and it's safe for swimming. I don't think fitbits are waterproof but I could be wrong. You're not supposed to wear an HRM all the time. Something about the calculations wouldn't be accurate.
  • afgivens4
    afgivens4 Posts: 117
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    Good heart rate monitors require you to wear a chest strap. You're not going to want to wear that all day. Look into. The. Bodybugg or bodymedia arm bands, they don't do your HR, but are pretty accurate. Then get yourself a polar ft4 or ft7 hrm. Wear it during your workouts to track your hr and your calories burned. The polar is water proof. Fit it just tracks steps btw

    Your max hr based on your age is 191. You should strive to get to85% of that which would be 162 or more. Keep your hr up there for 12 to 20 minutes during a 60 min workout and you will see good results. How have you been testin your hr up until now? If 95 is your max you can get to you must be a world class athlete. I'm guessing youre testing wrong. Or you're really not pushing yourself as much as you think. Try a treadmill at 15% at 5mph for a couple of minutes, you'll be huffing and puffing!

    Good luck! Mike

    I don't mind wearing a chest strap as I have to do that every once in a while for cardiologist..... Thank you for the advice on the bodybuggs, I will look at them.
    Let me clarify my HR issue. I have used other devices to calculate my heart rate along with the old fashion way of just feeling for pulse and counting.... By the time, my HR is around the 95-100 range consistant for more than a few minutes, I am extremely out of breath and have to stop for chest pains. I am by no means an athlete. But my resting HR is very low often.

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