Bodymedia? HRM's?

Lochlyn_D
Lochlyn_D Posts: 492 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I would like to get a heart rate monitor that also tracks calories burned and kilometres walked. I would be willing to spend up to $200.

I have heard of bodymedia and fitbit.

What HRM do you have? Pros and Cons?

Where in the world (well actually in Alberta) would I buy one of them? I don't shop online.

Replies

  • Lochlyn_D
    Lochlyn_D Posts: 492 Member
    bump
  • NoxDineen
    NoxDineen Posts: 497 Member
    Neither of those devices are heart-rate monitors, they use 3-axis accelerometers to track your movement and steps and estimate calorie burn throughout the day. I have a FitBit Flex ordered but they're back-ordered as they were just released so I can't comment on it yet.

    I believe most people on here have Polar heart rate monitors, I have the F7 and I quite like it. However, if I had it to do over I'd buy a Bluetooth HRM (Wahoo makes one I think) so I could just connect it right to my phone and have it feed into into RunKeeper directly.
  • luckydays27
    luckydays27 Posts: 552 Member
    I have a HRM (Polar FT60 - $125 US) and a fitbit ($90 US). I use both.

    I use the fitbit One to determine cals burned for the entire day based on my activities. I use the HRM to calculate my burn while exercising. I enter my HRM cals burned for the workout to override the fitbit estimated cals burned.

    I love both and would not change them.

    I had the Flex but it overestimated my steps and cals burned.

    As for where to purchase in Canada, I have no idea but why dont you shop online? Its the easiest way to buy stuff these days and usually at better prices than in the local stores.

    Best Buy sells the fitbit. They also sell HRM but I dont know what brands. Target sells HRM as well but usually the lower end models.
  • jody664
    jody664 Posts: 397 Member
    Well, FitBit and BodyMedia are not heart rate monitors. They don't measure your heart rate at all. They are pedometers with a lot of extras. For example, the FitBit tracks sleep and flights of stairs climbed. (Sorry, I don't have any experience with BodyMedia, but I expect it's similar to FitBit.)

    Neither the FitBit nor the BodyMedia are good at measuring calorie burns for exercises that are not step-based. Since the measure steps and tie it to calorie burn, they do really well with treadmill, running, Zumba, etc. They are kind of iffy on biking and elliptical. Since the don't measure heart rate, they don't work at all for strength training.

    So the question is.....what are your exercise goals and what are you hoping to measure with a device? If you do basically step-based cardio, you might be better served by the FitBit or BodyMedia. But if you do any exercises that aren't step-based, a HRM might be the way to go.

    I have both a FitBit and a HRM. I use the FitBit 24/7 but I use the HRM when I work out since I do a mix of cardio and strength training. Feel free to message me if you have specific questions.
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
    Since the don't measure heart rate, they don't work at all for strength training.
    I wouldn't be so sure about that. On my lifting days my BodyMedia certainly shows a significant calorie boost compared to non-lifting days. Like +500 calories more.
  • jody664
    jody664 Posts: 397 Member
    Best Buy sells the fitbit. They also sell HRM but I dont know what brands. Target sells HRM as well but usually the lower end models.
    I can answer this question from personal experience.....My Polar FT4 HRM died and I went to Target and bought a New Balance N4 with chest strap (~$75 US). My gym is just across the street. I spent about 30 minutes in the locker room setting it up, and tried it out. It would *not* read my heart rate. The instructions are awful. I stopped my workout and tried everything I could think of to get it to work, but no luck. So I returned it and went to Best Buy. They had the FT7 ($109 US) and the FT4 ($90 US). They also had an FT7 that had no watch, but synced wirelessly with your smartphone ($99 US). I debated on getting the FT7 without a watch, but decided on the FT4. I've been very satisfied with my old FT4.

    I also saw that Target and Best Buy both sell the variety of FitBit products (Zip, One and they even had ONE Flex on the shelves). I didn't check prices, since I wasn't buying one today. I also noticed that Best Buy had a deal on the Zip. It was two Zips packaged together, one black and one in color, for $99. The FitBit One was also $99.

    Hope this helps!
  • jody664
    jody664 Posts: 397 Member
    Since the don't measure heart rate, they don't work at all for strength training.
    I wouldn't be so sure about that. On my lifting days my BodyMedia certainly shows a significant calorie boost compared to non-lifting days. Like +500 calories more.
    You may be right.....I should have said the FitBit doesn't work for strength training. I normally burn ~500 calories per workout (30 min of strength and 30 min on the treadmill doing HIIT). My HRM recently died, and I just relied on my FitBit and had a calorie burn of ~175.

    So yeah, the BodyMedia may be different.
  • ayankeefan51
    ayankeefan51 Posts: 135 Member
    bump
  • Lochlyn_D
    Lochlyn_D Posts: 492 Member
    I have a HRM (Polar FT60 - $125 US) and a fitbit ($90 US). I use both.

    I use the fitbit One to determine cals burned for the entire day based on my activities. I use the HRM to calculate my burn while exercising. I enter my HRM cals burned for the workout to override the fitbit estimated cals burned.

    I love both and would not change them.

    I had the Flex but it overestimated my steps and cals burned.

    As for where to purchase in Canada, I have no idea but why dont you shop online? Its the easiest way to buy stuff these days and usually at better prices than in the local stores.

    Best Buy sells the fitbit. They also sell HRM but I dont know what brands. Target sells HRM as well but usually the lower end models.

    Thanks. We have Target and Best Buy. I will check them out. I don't shop online because I am not smart enough to do it safely. I had a wireless air card from Telus and someone "hacked" it or something and I ended up owing Telus $10 000. Settled it out of court for $2100. Will never make that mistake again.
  • ck1223
    ck1223 Posts: 21 Member
    I think if you're just concerned on knowing your calories burned during exercise, maybe just get a good HRM like POLAR or GARMIN. They will be pretty accurate, and I feel especially the new Garmin models with FirstBeat technology.

    The reason being is because you can also keep track of your intensity (how hard you're working your heart), which is a great benefit.


    If you're wondering what your burn 24/7, than bodymedia would be a great choice. Refer to this youtube link for probably the best info on the device.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyGfdt2S9Wo

    You have to keep in mind that the bodymedia has a subscription fee, where the HRM's do not.

    I have both, a bodymedia fit LINK and a Polar (and Garmin lol) HRM cause I love gadgets. I don't have a FirstBeat Garmin device though.

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