Being that I haven't really wanted to aggravate my knees as they are just finally starting to feel better, I haven't been doing my usual HIIT workouts with the FIRM and therefore haven't had much to say in terms of fitness.
But I thought I'd talk a bit about my heart rate monitor, why I have it and how I use it.
When I first started working out I was just happy to be moving and not sitting like a slug on the couch. I wasn't really concerned with my heart rate. I calculated Activity Points based on perceived level of exertion and left it at that.
But then I started wondering how accurate I was. I mean, when you pop in a workout DVD, there's warm up and cool down where you're not exerting yourself that much. Or maybe there's a 10 minute abs segment at the end. Do you count the whole workout? If not, you'd have to time each individual DVD to figure out what portion was warm-up or cool down.
Bah! Too much effort! And I wanted to be as precise as possible - after all the most accurate data will allow you to really analyze your results.
So I went to Target and I bought the least expensive heart rate monitor they had. It was the kind with no strap (hey, that sounds comfy!). To get your heart rate, you would hold your finger on a button for a few seconds. If you do that a few times in your workout, it would calculate how many calories you burn.
I used it for about a week. And then I realized it was crap. 1,000 calories in for one 40 minute workout? This thing canNOT be accurate (and it wasn't).
Rather than waste any more money I did my research. A heart rate monitor should absolutely have a chest strap for the most accurate data. You should also be able to enter your individual data like height, weight, age, and general fitness level. This is important because your total calorie burn is dependent on all of these factors.
Ok, google heart rate monitor and the first brand that comes up is Polar, followed by Garmin. All of these are well over 150 dollars for the less expensive models and 400 plus for the most expensive models. YIKES!
Was it fate, or luck? Two days later on woot.com there it was. Reebok Heart Rate Monitor. With chest strap. Customized. $19.99. Brilliant!
That was years ago and I still have it and it's still one of the best things ever. I have needed to replace the battery a couple of times but other than that it's worked flawlessly. The chest strap is very comfortable - you don't even feel it. And the best part is that it tells you exactly how many calories you burn.
Brilliant! Now I know whether I can have that extra treat or not! Whoo hoo!
Oh, and that 1,000 calorie work out? It was more like 450. Yeah....
If you want great data and helpful information I totally recommend the investment. If you can get one on sale go for it! But I'm actually thinking about upgrading to a more expensive model myself. I hear the chest strap on the Polar model is really comfy. Plus it will automatically upload your data on line and then you can put it in Excel and then the graphing begins!!!!!!! AAAAHHHHHH!!!!
Okay, I know, data dork!
I can't help it!
Until next week, have a great on-program weekend!!!
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