Did getting an HRM bring about a change in your habits?

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jteammom
jteammom Posts: 173
in Fitness and Exercise
I am considering getting an HRM, mainly because I question the accuracy of the "workout summary" on the equipment at my gym as well as that of the MFP exercise calculator. For those of you that have one, did your workout schedule and/or motivation change when you started using it? How about your eating habits? I often see comments like "I love my HRM!" but I don't know what it is that makes them so fantastic. Anyone care to share your experience?
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  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
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    my eating habits were great before I even bought a HRM but yes using one changed my habits. I would push harder to keep myself in my zone and sometimes I'd go longer just because I was only 10 calories from the next 100 or whatever and it was nice to see the actual #'s and I like being able to base my food for the day based on how hard I worked out. Extra treats for extra working out!

    BEST PIECE OF FITNESS EQUIPMENT EVER!!
  • RunHardBeStrong
    RunHardBeStrong Posts: 33,069 Member
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    Great question! I've been toying with the idea of getting one so I'm interested in the responses!
  • ninpiggy
    ninpiggy Posts: 228 Member
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    Great question! I've been toying with the idea of getting one so I'm interested in the responses!

    Same here
  • fitmommy4life
    fitmommy4life Posts: 65
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    This is my reward for losing 20 pounds! Can't wait to get one.
  • Nomomush
    Nomomush Posts: 582 Member
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    It didn't change my eating habit as I had MFP for that for monitoring. However, my exercising was definitely affected. I can't lie to myself anymore that I was going as hard as I possibly could. Now my HRM gives me a true reading of how hard I am working and whether or not I am hitting my target zone. It holds me accountable.
  • taldie01
    taldie01 Posts: 378
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    I just love seeing how much I burn, Ill put it on when I walk the dog even. It does make you think like Iit just took me that long to burn 300 calories, is it worth it to eat such and such
  • cowpoke06
    cowpoke06 Posts: 171
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    Getting a heart rate monitor gave me a more realistic idea of the calories I was burning as opposed to the estimates given by the gym machines. It's extremely helpful in showing you whether or not you are working hard enough to be burning fat effectively. The HRM I have has you enter in your resting heart rate (well, takes it while your at rest) and then uses that along with your age and weight to determine the zone at which your heart rate should be. I love it. However, mine doesn't have a chest band so I don't believe it to be 100% accurate, I have to put my finger tips on the face for it to essentially take my pulse and calculate my heart rate so it's only as effective as the frequency at which I press my fingers to it, so I do it about every 5 minutes. But I find the chest bands distracting so I'm ok with that.

    Has a HRM changed my eating habits? no. It's changed my workout habits.
  • mamareese
    mamareese Posts: 1,573 Member
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    For me I was never sure whether what I was doing was actually a good use of my time so to speak. Was that Jillian DVD really burning a lot of calories or would something else be better? It helped with this. I don't use it for strength training, just cardio. I also love it because I'm a believer in eating back exercise calories. However, without my HRM, I was afraid I was overestimating so I'd be leary to eat them back. Now I feel more confident in what I'm eating and I pay better attention to what I am eating because I know how hard I had to work to get that burn!!
  • tdonlin
    tdonlin Posts: 934 Member
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    Absolutely. I find myself pushing myself harder on each workout. Like someone else mentioned, if I am around say 380 cals burned, I will push it to get past 400. Also, it's kind of like driving, in that the faster you drive, the faster the odometer turns. The harder you push yourself and raise your heartrate, the more cals are burned per minute and it is easily monitored. Plus, MUCH more accurate than the gym equipment or MFP's data base.
  • NatalieWinning
    NatalieWinning Posts: 999 Member
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    I push harder, I'm not afraid to eat my exercise calories back, and I like to see what new workouts will burn. When I overeat I am not reluctant to try and burn that up because I know I can do things that aren't on the "books" like climbing stairs 10 min, shoveling snow, and my walking is more intense than MFP. When I don't use it I feel cheated! It is a polar 7 and it keeps little charts of the week's workouts and I like to see the bars keep going. So I hate skipping a day, and I like to see when my workouts are harder than the day's before. One more thing. It has fat burning and fitness heart rates built in so I know when I am doing each. No guessing.
  • jclji4
    jclji4 Posts: 118 Member
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    With my HRM I know when my fitness level has changed. I know when I am not working out hard enough, and I know when to push it and when to slow it down. I also try to burn a certain amount of calories when I work out, and found out that the MFP numbers were not accurate for me. I don't like to exercise without it because like I said, I try to burn a certain amount of calories.
  • NatalieWinning
    NatalieWinning Posts: 999 Member
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    Like someone else said, if it's 330, I go ahead and go for 350, or 400. It pushes me to do more.
  • mkskippy24
    mkskippy24 Posts: 45
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    Getting a HRM has definitely changed how I work out. And really, how I eat. Actually knowing more accurately how many calories I burn in my work out, fuels me to push harder and work out longer. I find myself wanting to beat my own records for working out..... challenging myself to do better. I can also see how if my "head" isn't in it, it reflects in how many calories i burn during my workout.

    And knowing what I know about working out, the effort it takes to burn even just 200calories has kept me more focused on what i eat than before! If i wanna splurge and eat a treat.... I know almost exactly what it takes to work that treat off..... keeping me from binging on food my body doesn't need!


    So, yeah, I totally love my HRM. It is helping me change my life to be healthier!
  • CaptainMom
    CaptainMom Posts: 3
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    Can someone give me some suggestions on brands with a chest strap to look into?
  • MissTomGettingThin
    MissTomGettingThin Posts: 776 Member
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    Like someone else said, if it's 330, I go ahead and go for 350, or 400. It pushes me to do more.

    Exactly the same as me.
    As I've gotten fitter it's harder to get my heart rate up but before I had my HRM I wasn't aware as much of my rate dropping.

    It really means I burn more and i don't work out without it now.
  • MissTomGettingThin
    MissTomGettingThin Posts: 776 Member
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    Can someone give me some suggestions on brands with a chest strap to look into?

    I a min the UK and have a Polar FT4.
    Adjustable strap, middle of the range price wise.
    Heart rate, calories, time etc.
  • msemejuru
    msemejuru Posts: 229
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    My Polar FT7 changed my workout habits. I keep going when I am near a landmark number. It also makes me put more effort into my workouts. When I am having a lazy day I check my watch and see that I've burned less calories than the day before, I step it up. As my fitness level changes I can make sure I am burning the amount of calories I want to for the day.
  • jteammom
    jteammom Posts: 173
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    This is really helpful. I am definitely going to do a little pre-shopping research. Has anyone purchased one that they were unhappy with?
  • biblebanger
    biblebanger Posts: 10
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    Yes! When I used it at the beginning of my weight loss journey I wouldn't quit working out until I had burned 500 calories. Later I used it track my mileage when I ran. I like to use it when I do HIIT training to really keep an eye on my heart rate.
  • kalia87
    kalia87 Posts: 30
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    Yes I try to keep my HR above 160 for as long as possible and I always try to outdo my peak :)

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