Polar heart rate watches

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brittvas55
brittvas55 Posts: 15 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
When tracking your calories with your polar watch, do you stop the watch during your cool down/stretch or do you not count that for your calories burned during your workout?

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  • cherrilovee
    cherrilovee Posts: 194 Member
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    I just keep going. You're losing calories even during your cool down and warm ups! :)
  • cgvoabc
    cgvoabc Posts: 18 Member
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    Same as above, I keep recording until everything is complete.
  • Brooklyn703
    Brooklyn703 Posts: 18 Member
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    Me three...I keep it going until I'm all done. I deserve those few extra calories burned points.:)
  • brittvas55
    brittvas55 Posts: 15 Member
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    Thanks. I figured as much, but I just wanted some reassurance so I wouldn't feel guilty. Haha
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    Holy willful inaccuracies, Batman.

    HRMs only count heart beats. They then plug that information into a formula to estimate caloric burn. Those formulae are only close to accurate for a few steady state cardio activities. They are not accurate for HIIT, boxing, Zumba, other intervals, yoga, weight lifting etc ... the studies and direct relationship between heart rate, oxygen uptake, caloric burn, etc just aren't there. The only reason they come close to accurate in certain activities is because there is a relationship between heart rate, effort level at the time of measurement, and the particular event. If your heart rate is elevated but the effort level is not increased proportionally, the device gives an inaccurate reading ... it doesn't matter that higher rate without corresponding effort is from intervals or part of your cool down.

    Log what you want. If you want accuracy, stop the HRM when you stop the full effort (assuming you're using it for an activity it comes close to accurate for to begin with).
  • thebillmo
    thebillmo Posts: 11 Member
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    I start it when I begin the warmup, and stop it when I finish the cooldown, provided my heart rate is below the "Light" HR Zone. I often use multiple cardio machines in a single workout so I let the watch run while I switch even though my HR drops. I do pause it for long breaks such as, um, powdering my nose. I don't let it run when I stretch afterwards.

    Whatever policy you choose, it's a good idea to be consistent with it.

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