Activity Tracker AND Heart Rate Monitors

Bluuzplayer
Bluuzplayer Posts: 6 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Is anyone using an activity tracker for steps, causal movements then using an HRM for your "real" workouts? I use Pacer for steps but when I work out it takes stops accounting for any calories I may have burned earlier in the day. I'm not trying to count them twice, just keep the credit for what I might have already done.

I was considering a Jawbone Up or Fitbit to wear throughout the day then removing that and using my Polar HRM when I actually work out. Does that sound like it makes sense?

Thoughts?
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Replies

  • ChrissyC1985
    ChrissyC1985 Posts: 406 Member
    I would be interested to see the responses to this as I am considering doing something similar. A lot of my workouts are not accurately measured by my Heart rate monitor as I like to lift and do a lot of yoga and unless I'm doing pure cardio I know the HRM is not a reliable source of information.
  • fvtfan
    fvtfan Posts: 126 Member
    I have both a Fitbit for every day activity and a Polar F4 for my workouts
  • notyouraveragetalia
    notyouraveragetalia Posts: 223 Member
    I did this, Fitbit throughout the day and HRM for workouts. Eventually I stopped caring about calorie burns during workouts and stopped wearing my HRM. I love my fitbit though. I lost mine and ordered a replacement almost immediately :)
  • cardbucfan
    cardbucfan Posts: 10,571 Member
    I have a fitbit and a polar f4. I use the HRM for all my workouts and wear the fitbit during the same time but when you enter your exercise in MFP, it asks for the time you did that exercise then overrides (on the fitbit website) what fitbit thinks you did during that window.

    I have to say, I know most people love their fitbit but put me in the camp that doesn't. I really am only wearing it to count steps and encourage me to get off my butt during the day but I think it's calorie burn calculations are way off. I used to wear a body media and found that to be much more accurate. I just got tired of the funky tan lines and all the questions about what it was since it's not discreet like my fitbit.
  • SlaughterHouseFive
    SlaughterHouseFive Posts: 24 Member
    I spent $120 on Polar FT7 and have now worn it for the last 11 cardio sessions at the gym. The heart rate on Polar FT7 and the elliptical machine's own handle bar measurement were almost exactly same. Like maybe 1 or 2 beat per minute difference. Calories again surprisingly the elliptical machine was within 5% of the Polar FT7. And it was 5% under not over so actually it kind of works better if weight loss is your goal.

    For all practical purposes buying the Polar FT7 heart rate monitor has been a waste of money. I have stopped wearing the Polar HRM now and just use the machine at the gym.
  • 19kat55
    19kat55 Posts: 336 Member
    Check out a Garmin Vivofit. Does both.
  • Cardio4Cupcakes
    Cardio4Cupcakes Posts: 289 Member
    I have both a Fitbit for every day activity and a Polar F4 for my workouts
  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
    I wear my Fitbit 24/7 (for nearly two years now!). I use my HRM during cardio workouts. I still wear the Fitbit to get the step count, but by logging my exercise via MFP, it syncs with the Fitbit and corrects the calorie burn on both sites. They work well together.

    @holisheet: my experience using the calorie burn of the machine is very different. A machine gives me considerably more calories burned than my HRM. Additionally, I nearly never use machines, so a HRM is my best bet for tracking calories burned in group exercise classes or running.
  • PrimalGirl
    PrimalGirl Posts: 148 Member
    I've got a Garmin Vivofit. It's an activity tracker that comes with a HRM strap. I keep it on all day so it tracks steps, calories etc and then measures activity through the HRM. It also tracks sleep.

    So it tracks steps taken during a workout as well as during the whole day - I wasn't sure I liked that feature to start with, but now I really do. If you're aiming for 10,000 steps, you don't have to discount the steps taken during 'formal' exercise. All movement is some sort of exercise and contributes to the 10,000. Most days I'm around 11-12,000 steps or as high as 15,000 on my HIIT days.

    Anyway, I really like it, it tells me when I'm in deep sleep and when I'm restless, how many calories I burn in 24 hours, including sleep, how many steps, heart rate during exercise. And it's waterproof.

    And no, I'm not a Garmin employee! I just like it.
  • EvelineUK
    EvelineUK Posts: 97
    Just to clarify, PrimalGirl, you don't wear the HRM strap all day too, do you?
    I'm looking into the Garmin Vivofit mainly because you don't have to keep charging it, and I like that you can read your progress right there on the band rather than having to synch it to see where you're at in reaching your goals, but Im pretty sure they don't suggest you wearing that strap 24/7.
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
    Is anyone using an activity tracker for steps, causal movements then using an HRM for your "real" workouts? I use Pacer for steps but when I work out it takes stops accounting for any calories I may have burned earlier in the day. I'm not trying to count them twice, just keep the credit for what I might have already done.

    I was considering a Jawbone Up or Fitbit to wear throughout the day then removing that and using my Polar HRM when I actually work out. Does that sound like it makes sense?

    Thoughts?

    Your over thinking everything way too much IMO.

    Pick 1 and stick to it.

    I have a fitbit but don't like how it counts normal walking around calories as calories burned... I don't eat these back cause my body is use to my day to day activities. What I do use it for is to be more active...that's pretty much it.

    HRM is good and all but then the next question is "how accurate is yours" just pick a method and follow that... doesn't have to be exact. You can use the machines calorie burn estimates and pop those into MFP and your done for the day and just saved a **** ton of money on HRM's and step counters. It's following 1 method and not jumping around to 2-3 methods to try and track your calories burned.

    Brad
  • DR2501
    DR2501 Posts: 661 Member
    Yes, Fitbit flex for steps, Suunto T1C for workouts
  • Bluuzplayer
    Bluuzplayer Posts: 6 Member
    Lots of good input!
  • marchellaz
    marchellaz Posts: 70 Member
    I am in love with my Polar FT7. I don't want to be stuck to a machine. I step it up to meet my goal.
  • Kristy528
    Kristy528 Posts: 63 Member
    I spent $120 on Polar FT7 and have now worn it for the last 11 cardio sessions at the gym. The heart rate on Polar FT7 and the elliptical machine's own handle bar measurement were almost exactly same. Like maybe 1 or 2 beat per minute difference. Calories again surprisingly the elliptical machine was within 5% of the Polar FT7. And it was 5% under not over so actually it kind of works better if weight loss is your goal.

    For all practical purposes buying the Polar FT7 heart rate monitor has been a waste of money. I have stopped wearing the Polar HRM now and just use the machine at the gym.

    If I am understanding correctly. What you think is the machine being accurate is actually your HRM synching with the machine. Most machines will pick up your HRM. Normally most cardio machines give you a higher calorie burn then what you are actually getting.

    To reply to the post I have a FitBit "One" and I love it I have had it for a year and a half now. I also have a Polar FT4. I am not using the HRM at the moment. I had a baby in April and am just going by what FitBit gives me, once I get closer to my goal I may start using them both again if need be.
  • maradanielle
    maradanielle Posts: 47 Member
    I use the Jawbone UP. I have just figured out how to use it....properly. It has a stop watch function that you start when you work out and stop when your done it measures steps while working out then within the app you tell it what exercise you do, and the intensity and it then calculates the calories that you burned. (you can also add exercise without the stop watch function) and if you have them synced correctly it will add the adjustment to MFP.

    It took me a while to figure out how to sync and record everything when I got the jawbone.... but know that I got it.... I like it....most days lol
  • FrenchMob
    FrenchMob Posts: 1,167 Member
    Garmin Vivofit does both and battery is good for a year.
  • dinos
    dinos Posts: 1,390 Member
    @bluuzplayer: Since you are already in the polar ecosystem I suggest you look at the Polar Loop activity monitor. I use a garmin hrm and a fitbit which is fine but eventually I'm getting a Vivofit for the integration on garmin connect.
    Affordable solution that does both is the Garmin FR15.
  • Numb5kull
    Numb5kull Posts: 249 Member
    I currently have a Jawbone UP24 and am looking at HRM's as I don't like the way it is integrating with MFP nor do I trust the burns it is calculating. I am trying to decide whether to go with just a bluetooth enabled strap like the Polar HT7 or to go with a strap/watch type combo so that I can actively see the heart rate as I'm working out. My phone does not stay within arm's reach on most cardio exercises.

    Very interested in the responses to this thread.
  • mikeyrs
    mikeyrs Posts: 176 Member
    I spent $120 on Polar FT7 and have now worn it for the last 11 cardio sessions at the gym. The heart rate on Polar FT7 and the elliptical machine's own handle bar measurement were almost exactly same. Like maybe 1 or 2 beat per minute difference. Calories again surprisingly the elliptical machine was within 5% of the Polar FT7. And it was 5% under not over so actually it kind of works better if weight loss is your goal.

    For all practical purposes buying the Polar FT7 heart rate monitor has been a waste of money. I have stopped wearing the Polar HRM now and just use the machine at the gym.

    Ummmm, NO! Your Polar FT7 with HRM strap automatically pairs with your gym equipment and transmits its heart rate data to the machine you're using (and sometimes to the adjacent machine someone else is using - lol). The reason the machine display doesn't exactly match the readout of your FT7 is due to the machine display's refresh rate.
  • LynndaMaree
    LynndaMaree Posts: 88 Member
    I use the Polar ft7. I love this thing. I never exercise unless I'm using it. I seem to be losing weight at a steady pace since I started using it. Even if the calories burned are not as accurate as they should be, it makes me want to work out more to burn more calories. I love my Polar.
  • Jonalee1977
    Jonalee1977 Posts: 415 Member
    I have a Polar FT7 that I use during workouts and I wear my Fitbit One 24/7. I don't think this is "overthinking" at all. To me, I'm being as accurate as possible.
  • MissingMinnesota
    MissingMinnesota Posts: 7,486 Member
    I use a polar loop which is a activty tracker plus it pairs with a HRM bluetooth chest strap. The only thing is you need your phone with you when working out and use the app that will track the HRM activty. I do like that its goals are based on activity level not just steps. Reviews on it are 50/50 as I am having a hard time pairing it with the app that stores all the daily data if I wanted to go back and look at my days but the app that pairs with the HRM I haven't had a problem with and I perfer its looks and the output on the wristband more then other activity trackers. It gives time, calories, steps and activity to goal with the break down of jog, walk, up (just getting off your @$$)
  • sympha01
    sympha01 Posts: 942 Member
    I use a Fitbit and I like it a lot, but I would not consider it for a "more accurate" calorie burn for anything.

    *The Fitbit doesn't know what kind of activity you are doing when you move it around. Are you lifting weights? Are you walking? Are you washing dishes? It has no idea. It just knows it's moved through a certain arc at a certain speed with a certain force.

    *It looks to me like it guesstimates a calorie burn based on METS for just an average of different types of exercise, primarily using the number of "steps" per minute as the biggest contributor to the algorithm. For me, that means it gives me MASSIVE calorie credit for walking, but less than half that per minute for, say, kettlebell swings. And trust me, fives minutes of continuous kettlebell swings is going to burn a lot MORE calories than five minutes of walking.

    I love my Fitbit but mostly for helping me to quantify how much non-exercise activity I'm getting. That is, it encourages me to be less sedentary, and it helps me know when I've genuinely had an "active day" -- based on that I sometimes give myself maybe a 150 calorie food bonus, but I wouldn't trust it to tell me I could REALLY eat a lot of exercise calories. That being said, I use a TDEE method (mostly BECAUSE I'm not comfortable with specific exercise burn estimates) and base my eating on a generalized estimate of my activity level, not on specific daily calorie burns.
  • SlaughterHouseFive
    SlaughterHouseFive Posts: 24 Member
    I spent $120 on Polar FT7 and have now worn it for the last 11 cardio sessions at the gym. The heart rate on Polar FT7 and the elliptical machine's own handle bar measurement were almost exactly same. Like maybe 1 or 2 beat per minute difference. Calories again surprisingly the elliptical machine was within 5% of the Polar FT7. And it was 5% under not over so actually it kind of works better if weight loss is your goal.

    For all practical purposes buying the Polar FT7 heart rate monitor has been a waste of money. I have stopped wearing the Polar HRM now and just use the machine at the gym.

    Ummmm, NO! Your Polar FT7 with HRM strap automatically pairs with your gym equipment and transmits its heart rate data to the machine you're using (and sometimes to the adjacent machine someone else is using - lol). The reason the machine display doesn't exactly match the readout of your FT7 is due to the machine display's refresh rate.

    Yeah that's not what's going on hahaha.. Elliptical machines are not born in the wild with the ability to wireless sync with heart rate monitors. You actually have to spend $$$ and buy the model with that feature. That was the first question I asked the gym manager when I got the Polar. None of the cardio equipment in my gym has that option.

    I am not the only one who has found that the built in HRM on gym machines is accurate

    http://abcnews.go.com/Health/accuracy-exercise-machines/story?id=18559149
  • bluntlysally
    bluntlysally Posts: 150 Member
    yup, fitbit + hrm.

    my hrm is bluetooth, so yes it "talks" to the newer gym equipment. no setup or anything required. this is super nice, bc i am kinda short... so holding onto the grips isn't really in the right place/height for me. otherwise the machine yells at me to put my hands back on the sensors.
  • Ideabaker
    Ideabaker Posts: 535 Member
    I have both a Fitbit for every day activity and a Polar F4 for my workouts

    ^^
    Exactly this. I don't trust the MFP calorie expenditure counts for my workouts, so log my own expenditure based on my Polar HRM.

    I use the Fitbit to measure overall steps for the day, and to monitor sleep.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    I use a fitbit zip for steps and then log my 'real' exercise (anything other than walking or running) on top of that. Because they're coordinated, when you log the exercise in MFP, it asks for the time of day and excludes your steps for that period. It doesn't cost anything extra and has worked well for me.
  • stuman74
    stuman74 Posts: 27 Member
    I have a FitBit Zip that I clip on when I wake up in the morning and remove when I go to bed. The FitBit is primarily my "get off your butt and move around" reminder. For actual "workouts" like jogging or lifting, I keep the FitBit on but also wear my Polar H7. Both sync to my iPhone and I have it set to have each sync with MFP, but not directly to each other (since that could result in double counting). For me, this setup and method works perfectly.
  • Bluuzplayer
    Bluuzplayer Posts: 6 Member
    That was my biggest question, wearing it while you work out. So since they both sync to MFP they don't double count? MFP knows not to do that correct?

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