Tools for monitoring exercise and weight
mudtea
Posts: 27 Member
I just thought I'd mention a couple FREE smartphone programs I recently started using to keep track of my walking distance, time, and average speed.
Ramblr
This uses your smartphone's GPS to track where you run or walk. It starts a timer and plots your trail on your choice of map types. It calculates your average speed and shows a graph of your instantaneous speed plotted against your elevation.
Nike+ Running
This does very much the same as Ramblr, but is a little less configurable. It does, however, have to added benefit of speaking through your phone's speaker when you've completed one mile, two miles, etc, and it tells you your average pace at the time.
Knowing how long I've walked and the average speed allows me to easily enter those data into MFP's exercise diary, which then accounts for the calories burned.
For weight monitoring, I had a Taylor digital readout scale (1/2 lb increments) that I bought for $20. It was remarkably accurate for the money, but not very precise. That is, it always gave me a reading close to my correct weight, but it almost always gave a slightly different reading each time I stepped on. Such inconsistency for me is maddening, even if it doesn't really matter in the bigger picture. My solution was to search craigslist for a used "doctor's" scale. Depending on your location, you might find a balance beam scale like in the doctor's office for anywhere from $25 to $120. I paid $40 for my used Health-o-meter scale, which I think was a great deal, though I really wanted to find a Detecto.
The Health-o-meter twin-beam scale gives very reproducible weight measurements to within 0.1 lb, so I can eliminate my uncertainty when I step on the scale each morning. Obviously, our weights fluctuate substantially more than that during the course of a day, but it really plays with my mind to introduce sometimes 1.5 lbs of doubt into my weight when measurements are taken seconds apart like the Taylor digital scale did.
Does anyone else have any suggestions for tools to monitor exercise or comments on weight monitoring?
Ramblr
This uses your smartphone's GPS to track where you run or walk. It starts a timer and plots your trail on your choice of map types. It calculates your average speed and shows a graph of your instantaneous speed plotted against your elevation.
Nike+ Running
This does very much the same as Ramblr, but is a little less configurable. It does, however, have to added benefit of speaking through your phone's speaker when you've completed one mile, two miles, etc, and it tells you your average pace at the time.
Knowing how long I've walked and the average speed allows me to easily enter those data into MFP's exercise diary, which then accounts for the calories burned.
For weight monitoring, I had a Taylor digital readout scale (1/2 lb increments) that I bought for $20. It was remarkably accurate for the money, but not very precise. That is, it always gave me a reading close to my correct weight, but it almost always gave a slightly different reading each time I stepped on. Such inconsistency for me is maddening, even if it doesn't really matter in the bigger picture. My solution was to search craigslist for a used "doctor's" scale. Depending on your location, you might find a balance beam scale like in the doctor's office for anywhere from $25 to $120. I paid $40 for my used Health-o-meter scale, which I think was a great deal, though I really wanted to find a Detecto.
The Health-o-meter twin-beam scale gives very reproducible weight measurements to within 0.1 lb, so I can eliminate my uncertainty when I step on the scale each morning. Obviously, our weights fluctuate substantially more than that during the course of a day, but it really plays with my mind to introduce sometimes 1.5 lbs of doubt into my weight when measurements are taken seconds apart like the Taylor digital scale did.
Does anyone else have any suggestions for tools to monitor exercise or comments on weight monitoring?
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Replies
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I had the nike thing downloaded and it NEVER worked. then I found out you had to be wearing nike shoes with a chip in them for it to function!
I really love my heart rate monitor. I mean really love it. polar ft4 i think.. LUVLUVLUV.. I strap into it doing yard work..it makes me want to do more yard work.. I've trimmed my neighbor's hedges just to burn calories. I bought one for a friend... and it wasn't her birthday! luvluvluv0 -
The Nike+ Running app doesn't need anything extra, but the Nike+ Training app needs their shoes to work.
Does your heart rate monitor indicate how many calories you burn as a function of heart rate? Do you remember how much you paid for it?
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I use JEFIT for my lifting routines. It works really well.0
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The Nike+ Running app doesn't need anything extra, but the Nike+ Training app needs their shoes to work.
Does your heart rate monitor indicate how many calories you burn as a function of heart rate? Do you remember how much you paid for it?
Thanks
it does.. it was about $90- $95 at bestbuy.. but i wanted it NOW, not on line. records many past workouts... pause function... calculates calories burned, heart rate, maximum heart rate during workout,,, and time 'in zone' ... it's added a new dimension to my trip0 -
I used to love the nike+ app on my iphone (no added extras, just the app), but then read about Endomondo and I really like it.
It is very similar to Nike+, it talks to me too which I love! and it records elevation on top of that.
At the moment I use Endomondo rather than nike+ mainly because it has different exercises, so I can enter walking, or hiking or anything I am doing while Nike+ works only for running.
I just bought a cheap HRM online for £20 which will be about $30 which counts my calories too so I am all gadgeted up and loving it... it totally helps me pushing my work outs/walks further and harder.
Hope this helps! :-)0 -
Hi, I use a pedometer to calculate distance, calorie, time, pace for my workouts. Unfortunately I purchased a Sportline 308 that just this morning went haywire so I will be replacing it. The only issue with a pedometer is you need to program your steps measurements. It helps to do this on a track and walk a lap.0
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I use a Bodymedia Armband and a Garmin FR70 HRM0
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