HR Monitor

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KellyUVA
KellyUVA Posts: 255 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Good morning all,

I am looking to purchase a good heart rate monitor. Are they are any models that sync with MFP? Also, I'm looking for something I can wear throughout the day, not just during workouts, to get a better idea of what my daily caloric burn is.

Suggestions are appreciated!

Replies

  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    HRM's aren't made to wear all day, they're specifically for steady state cardio and give grossly exaggerated readings if you wear them all the time. If you want something for all day wear you need more of a BodyBugg type tool.
  • TURNER7MC
    TURNER7MC Posts: 5 Member
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    You may want to take a look at FitBit or Jawbone Up. There are lots of websites that compare the two and give the details of what they track. I was going to purchase the FitBit but then realized that it doesn't do well with tracking elliptical (as opposed to walking and running that it does very well at) and that's my favorite cardio. Good luck!
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    HRM's aren't made to wear all day, they're specifically for steady state cardio and give grossly exaggerated readings if you wear them all the time. If you want something for all day wear you need more of a BodyBugg type tool.

    Agreed.

    You need to decide if you want an HRM for exercise (Polar, Suunto, Garmin, etc), or an activity monitor for daily life *(bodybugg, fitbit, etc).
  • KatC_88
    KatC_88 Posts: 101 Member
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    HRM's aren't made to wear all day, they're specifically for steady state cardio and give grossly exaggerated readings if you wear them all the time. If you want something for all day wear you need more of a BodyBugg type tool.

    Agreed.

    You need to decide if you want an HRM for exercise (Polar, Suunto, Garmin, etc), or an activity monitor for daily life *(bodybugg, fitbit, etc).

    Completely agree!

    If you want one for workout I will recommend Polar FT 4, it is very accurate and comfortable. There are other kids, but for accurate readings Iwould make sure they have a chest strap.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Options
    HRM's aren't made to wear all day, they're specifically for steady state cardio and give grossly exaggerated readings if you wear them all the time. If you want something for all day wear you need more of a BodyBugg type tool.

    Agreed.

    You need to decide if you want an HRM for exercise (Polar, Suunto, Garmin, etc), or an activity monitor for daily life *(bodybugg, fitbit, etc).

    Completely agree!

    If you want one for workout I will recommend Polar FT 4, it is very accurate and comfortable. There are other kids, but for accurate readings Iwould make sure they have a chest strap.

    Not to sidetrack too much, but to be clear... HRMs, even with chest straps, aren't guaranteed to be any more accurate than any other measuring device/method. They use a forumla to ESTIMATE calories burned just like cardio machines, websites, etc. What make something more or less accurate is the formula being used, which can vary greatly.
  • ze_hombre
    ze_hombre Posts: 377 Member
    Options
    HRM's aren't made to wear all day, they're specifically for steady state cardio and give grossly exaggerated readings if you wear them all the time. If you want something for all day wear you need more of a BodyBugg type tool.

    Agreed.

    You need to decide if you want an HRM for exercise (Polar, Suunto, Garmin, etc), or an activity monitor for daily life *(bodybugg, fitbit, etc).

    Completely agree!

    If you want one for workout I will recommend Polar FT 4, it is very accurate and comfortable. There are other kids, but for accurate readings Iwould make sure they have a chest strap.

    Also agree. There are some potential alternatives but their accuracy is questionable. Look at the Body Bugg, BodyFit, and Amiigo. I have no experience with them. I personally use a Fitbit for non-cardio tracking and a TomTom Multisport watch for tracking solid state cardio.
  • KellyUVA
    KellyUVA Posts: 255 Member
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    Thanks all! I have a Fitbit, which I love for daily use, but as someone noted below, its not good for elliptical. I will check out some of the options you guys recommended.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Thanks all! I have a Fitbit, which I love for daily use, but as someone noted below, its not good for elliptical. I will check out some of the options you guys recommended.

    Why not? My Flex is reasonably close for most typical workouts.
  • ze_hombre
    ze_hombre Posts: 377 Member
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    Thanks all! I have a Fitbit, which I love for daily use, but as someone noted below, its not good for elliptical. I will check out some of the options you guys recommended.

    Why not? My Flex is reasonably close for most typical workouts.

    I tentatively disagree. Since I updated my stride lengths it has been pretty accurate for running but not at all for biking (which is to be expected since there are no steps involved). I haven't been on an elliptical since I updated my stride but I seem to remember it lowballing it as well. It also does not register any exercise for swimming, although none of the above recommendations would help OP in that regard anyways.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Any FitBit type device is basically a pedometer. It works by the "bounce" when you take a step. It can't register motion it doesn't feel so things like swimming and biking and probably the elliptical don't register because you aren't creating enough force to make it realize there was a motion made.

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