Which HRM should I buy or should I get a fitbit???

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BandedTriaRN
BandedTriaRN Posts: 303
in Fitness and Exercise
I know nothing about them.... I need something that is accurate and as cheap as possible (I'm on disability and not rich by any means!). I mainly will use it to bicycle and swim laps. Also, is it easy to switch them between two people so if my husband wanted to borrow it one day , he would be able to do so without a big problem or are they best kept on one person? Thanks, I understand the general concept of how they work but that's it...so any help in that matter would be great. What is the cheapest that I can expect to buy a decent one?

Also, what's the difference in a fitbit and a HRM as far as data?

Replies

  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    Fitbit is really a glorified pedometer that you wear all day to figure out how many steps you take and what you burn in a day.. You can also wear them while sleeping.

    HRM's are made for exercise and exercise only.. they cannot be worn all day despite belief otherwise. They are set up for one person.. and you could switch it between two but you'd have to replace all the user data each time, so I suggest you and your husband each buy one. They tell you calories, max heart rate and average heart rate plus heart rate while exercising.

    Best HRM that you can get for cheap is the Polar FT4.. it retails about 60 dollars online.
  • Lisa6206
    Lisa6206 Posts: 57 Member
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    I find dad106's advice was "right on" and exactly what I was going to say. My sister uses a heart rate monitor and loves it. Her's was about $50 that she found on clearance at Wal-Mart. The fit bit runs about $100. Both are set up with your personal data. I do like the fitbit because by wearing it all day, it seems to motivate me to move as much as I can to get my number of steps per day/calories burned as high as possible. But if what you are looking for is just to monitor your exercise sessions, the HRM would be the way to go. =0)
  • 66PollyAnna
    66PollyAnna Posts: 20 Member
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    Go to amazon and read reviews. I love my hrm.
  • butterflylover527
    butterflylover527 Posts: 940 Member
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    I have a Polar FT4- one of the cheapest HRMs w/ a chest strap. It's simple and does what it needs to do perfectly.
  • tamtamzz
    tamtamzz Posts: 142
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    I have a Timex with a chest strap. It was 30 bucks on Amazon. It doesn't calculate calories, but it does monitor your heart rate quite well. When I first started working out I just wanted to know how hard I was working, and if I was working hard enough. Without it, I would probably still be walking!

    I think it's a pretty good starter HRM.
  • klalaw
    klalaw Posts: 142 Member
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    I have the Polar FT4 and the Fitbit. Well, more accurately, I HAD a Fitbit, before I accidentally wore it into the pool and killed it - oops. But it ties in nicely to your question, since you mentioned swimming - it's definitely not gonna work for that! :-) Even if it were waterproof, it measures steps, not general activity, so it wouldn't be a good measuring tool. I would think bicycling with it could produce weird results to. So I'd say go with the HRM. I don't know if the FT4 is waterproof or not, or if others are, but it would definitely be good for biking. As others have said, it COULD be transferred, but would be a pain to reset for accuracy.
  • mzabicki
    mzabicki Posts: 13
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    I love my HRM! You can get them anywhere from $30-150, depending on what you want it to do. I have just a basic one that keeps track of time, heart rate and calories. The fitbit is good because it links with MFP, but it's not always accurate since it doesn't read your heart rate. The HRM is extremely accurate but it can't be worn in the water. You do have to get used to the chest strap as well, but I don't mind it and since it's adjustable your husband can use it too.
  • BandedTriaRN
    BandedTriaRN Posts: 303
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    ok, going to go look into the HRM's you all suggested. I have seen people mentioning the polar one a lot. I think that I might get my husband the fitbit because he's out and about a lot more than me and it would probably encourage him more. He also has sleep difficulties and that would be nice to check! Thanks so much. I tried to read past searches on it but I get very fatigued (mentally and physically) due to my disability and just gave up. Thanks for helping!
  • dward2011
    dward2011 Posts: 416 Member
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    bump for later
  • mamabear0222
    mamabear0222 Posts: 455 Member
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    great question I was going to ask the same ....
  • artsykris
    artsykris Posts: 26
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    bump
  • vanessasteinbach
    vanessasteinbach Posts: 18 Member
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    I have the Polar FT4 and I absolutely love it. It was $65 on Amazon, it IS waterproof as long as you use it according to the directions. It does have a chest strap and some people are turned off by this idea, but after a few times wearing it, you no longer notice it.
  • justtodayjen333
    justtodayjen333 Posts: 142 Member
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    bump
  • faceoff4
    faceoff4 Posts: 1,599 Member
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    Fitbit is really a glorified pedometer that you wear all day to figure out how many steps you take and what you burn in a day.. You can also wear them while sleeping.

    HRM's are made for exercise and exercise only.. they cannot be worn all day despite belief otherwise. They are set up for one person.. and you could switch it between two but you'd have to replace all the user data each time, so I suggest you and your husband each buy one. They tell you calories, max heart rate and average heart rate plus heart rate while exercising.

    Best HRM that you can get for cheap is the Polar FT4.. it retails about 60 dollars online.

    This is perfectly said! Get an HRM of you are serious and don't waste time with fitbits unless you just want to track your steps.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
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    Look at the Bodymedia fit.its for all day wear but more accurate than the fitbit

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