HRM's. I have questions.

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Trista87Marie
Trista87Marie Posts: 180 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
What is a good strapless HRM? I want to be able to wear it all day, even when Im at work. I know that the Body Bugg does this but I am looking for something a bit less expensive.

Also, Ive read that strapless ones aren't as accurate. Is it so much less accurate that it would make a great impact or is it not something I should worry about. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I saw a timex one that was about 60 bucks. Anyone have that one?

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  • chrish1981
    chrish1981 Posts: 156
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    I bought a watch one with no strap and it was way off.

    Now I've got one with a chest strap and it's spot-on. You really need the chest strap to get an accurate reading.

    I have a Polar fT4. Love it. 90 bucks on Amazon.
  • Hsanders3961
    Hsanders3961 Posts: 245 Member
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    I do NOT recommend the $30 one at walmart. As far as the others, my mom loves her Polar HRM but it has a strap. From what I hear, they are just more accurate.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    What is a good strapless HRM? I want to be able to wear it all day, even when Im at work. I know that the Body Bugg does this but I am looking for something a bit less expensive.

    Also, Ive read that strapless ones aren't as accurate. Is it so much less accurate that it would make a great impact or is it not something I should worry about. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

    I saw a timex one that was about 60 bucks. Anyone have that one?

    The strapless ones are completely useless in calculating calories burned because you need a continuous measure of the heart rate to figure out any sort of meaningful calorie numbers. If you want it for calorie counting, get one with a strap.

    If you want to count calories all day, a HRM will not do it. They are designed to work the calculate calories during exercise, not all day. If you want all day calorie counts you need a Bodymedia Fit, Bodybugg, or Fitbit. All of which are designed to calculate all day calories.
  • WomanofWorth
    WomanofWorth Posts: 395 Member
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    What is a good strapless HRM? I want to be able to wear it all day, even when Im at work. I know that the Body Bugg does this but I am looking for something a bit less expensive.

    Also, Ive read that strapless ones aren't as accurate. Is it so much less accurate that it would make a great impact or is it not something I should worry about. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

    I saw a timex one that was about 60 bucks. Anyone have that one?

    I have the Timex one. Just got it tonight and I love it. I do feel that the chest strap is really a must for accuracy.
  • Trista87Marie
    Trista87Marie Posts: 180 Member
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    I checked out the FitBit. Seems great. Anyone have more info about that one or perhaps even have it? It's not a heart rate monitor. Which worries me about the efficiency of monitoring calorie loss.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    I checked out the FitBit. Seems great. Anyone have more info about that one or perhaps even have it? It's not a heart rate monitor. Which worries me about the efficiency of monitoring calorie loss.

    If you do some googling on how accurate HRM are for calorie calculations you will find that they may not be as good as we all tend to think. Even here at MFP one knowledgeable user posted this blog entry, http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472

    Fit bits use accelerometers if I remember correctly. You can google to see reviews on its accuracy. Bodymedia Fit and Bodybugg use even more to calculate stuff.

    A comparison http://www.wellsphere.com/healthy-living-article/bodybugg-vs-fitbit-round-4-activity-accuracy/982031

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