Heart Rate Monitor......My NEW Best Friend!

Ok...anyone who knows me knows that I am a BIG TIME gadget girl.  I run with an Ipod, a Nike sensor AND the Nike Amp sports watch that works my Ipod.  I LOVE gadgets...what can I say. But, these gadgets really didn't give me an accurate reflection of my efforts.  I was constantly having to guess at how many calories I was burning in dance class and was using the Ipod and treadmill to figure out my calories when I ran, etc.  And as we all know...treadmills really aren't accurate. So, I was on a quest for an inexpensive heart rate monitor that would give me calories.  I bought a Timex from Dick's Sporting Goods the other day, and let me tell you......I AM IN LOVE!!!! A heart rate monitor is the most accurate at home monitor for monitoring your calorie expenditure when working out, because it is not based on a distance (like the Ipod or the treadmill) or the number of reptitions (like the bike or the ellipticle) but your actual heart rate and how fast it is beating (your exertion). Why is this important - because (1) Too many calories in and not enough calories out = weight gain...(2) Not enough calories in and too many calories out = weight gain (starvation mode).  Also, because you may find that you are not challenging your body enough (heart rate not really up) and therefore are not burning fat.  OR...you are working too hard and not burning anything. So...Sunday, I ran 7 miles.  The treadmill said 736 calories.....not shabby....  the Ipod said 786 calories...ok...so I burned about 700 calories..COOL! WRONG!!!! The heart rate monitor said 1149 calories - HOLY CR*P!!!!! That CAN'T be right....can it????  It was.  Which means that between my basal metabolic rate (BMR) and this physical activity, I burned well over 3,000 calories that day (forget the fact that I also washed TWO motorcycles), but only ate 1800 calories.  That's too much of a calorie deficit. So, I've been wearing it for every physical activity I do and am I just SHOCKED by the numbers.  I burn alot more calories than I thought I did in some areas, and not what I thought in others.  For example, I burned 200 calories just walking back and forth to the printer at work.  I never considered that! So...if you are able to afford one, I highly recommend one to not only monitor your calories expenditures, but also to monitor that you are actually working in the "zone".  You could be strolling along, thinking life is grand when in fact your heart is barely beating. (I actually saw that on an episode of Oprah with Dr. Oz).

Hey, Jill!

I, too ,have a heart rate monitor (bought - not by my choice - at the beginning of my pre-op "boot camp" ) It and I have a love/hate relationship. I've always wanted to wear it all day just to see how many calories I burned , but I only put it on when I exercise. It is nice that it keeps me working right where I should be - sometimes I'm even working harder than is necessary so I get to slow down! And it gives me a goal each week (It has all of my info programmed into it - including how often, for how long, and at what heart rate I'm supposed to exercise - so it tells on me when I don't!) It hooks up to a computer at "The Center" where I work out so that the watch and the computer trade info about me - new weight, exercise plans, etc. every week. Plus, it makes me feel cool!

When I'm on the treadmill, it actually transmits to the machine without me holding on to the little bars. One day I was on one of the treadmills that are squeezed right next to each other and the treadmills on either side of me were picking up my heart rate as well! Hope those girls didn't mind

Mine doesn't work in the pool, though - something about the chemicals in the water, even though it works in regular water - so I have to pull myself up out of the water every 3-4 minutes to get a reading, which is a pain. Plus, I look weird. I also have to wear it so tight that I have spots on my sides that are rubbed raw from where the buckles and tags or whatever are on it.

One day it told me to measure my OwnIndex or some such thing and I pressed the button not knowing what I was doing. Not long after, I took a class where I ended up being in my "high" zone for almost the whole hour. It told me I burned 1630 calories! I was so proud - but then every time I exercised it said over 1000 and when I told Sgt. Bryan (my trainer) about it, he said that I had messed it up by playing with the buttons and that I was not actually burning all those calories. He fixed it and it was back to reality. *sigh* It was fun while it lasted. Clearly I'm not smart enough to handle the watch on my own.

Anyway, enough of my monitor stories. (I affectionately refer to mine as "the tattletale watch" - I'm thinking of telling it what I tell my kindergarteners - "If you're going to tattle, tell the tattle moose. He likes to hear it. I don't" ) You're right - they are way cool. And way useful. But now I totally want the watch that works my Ipod.......

WOW!  That one sounds really cool.  Is it a Garmin?  I really want the Garmin 305, but at almost $200.00, I really can't justify it when I have the Nike Ipod that does almost everything that the Garmin does. But, you are right...it's like wearing a tattletale - haha

Cool -- I like gadgets too - what model did you get? How do you now this is accurate? Jackie

Heart rate monitors are the most accurate because they are based on your hear rate exertion and not a distance (as with most programs).  There is a lot of info on the Internet about them. You know...I'm not sure which model I got - haha.  I just know that it does calories along with everything else.  I paid $69.99 at Dick's if that helps......

I looked at ebay because there is such a wide selection - I just want to get one that works... Jackie

I totally forgot about ebay....I may have to check there for the Garmin that I want.....

Thanks for the recommendation, Jill.  I need to get it -- I have an idea of how much I am burning with exercise, but with everything else...none at all, and since I am eating only about 800 cals. per day, I know that I am probably in a deficit...so this might be the answer for me.  Would you mind telling me what model you got?  There's a Dicks in Fredericksburg, and I can swing by there the next time I am in town to take a look.  Thanks!  :)

Like I was just telling Jackie...I have NO clue as to which model I bought.  I just know that it was $69.99 at Dick's.