Heart Rate Monitor

I have a Polar FT7 and love it! It is an amazing little addition.

With whatever HRM you decide to get based on your budget ensure it has a few things...

1) Ensure it has a chest strap. There are cheaper HRMs out there however they do not have the chest strap. Without the chest strap it gets your HR when you put your finger on the button of the wrist watch. The chest strap continuiously takes your HR and therefore results in a much more accurate calorie burn. With the watch only it bases your calorie burn on your last HR which could be much higher/lower if you aren't testing frequently.

2) Make sure it allows you to enter your age, weight, height and sex at minimum. This will give you more accurate burn amounts.

When I first got a HRM I got a watch only one for $25 because I didn't want to spend a lot of money. I had to manually take my HR and it did not allow me to enter my height, age or weight... only if I was male or female. The result was not very accurate readings. I was lucky I was able to take it back to the store. I waited until I had more money and got my Polar HRM. It was about $100 (and I got it on sale at a store closing sale) but it is worth the expense.

Also, keep in mind if you get a normal HRM, do not wear it all day. It is not designed to give daily calorie burns from all your daily activity. It is only designed to give you calorie burns while you have an elevated HR.