No, that's not a typo.
Anyone who knows me knows I love gadgets and I love data. Before I had kids, I used to track all sorts of weight loss data in excel spreadsheets - weight, calories in/out, macros, workout minutes, average heart rate - you name it, I love it! I would make graphs and pie charts... I was in nerd-vana!
Now that I'm a mom, the time for all that is gone, that's why I want the data that I do have to be as accurate as possible. Which leads me to Wahoo.
Previously - long before the era of smart watches - I wore a HRM with a chest strap. It was a Reebok that I got off Woot for about $20, and it served me well. But when smart watches hit the market, I jumped right in (after all, I do love gadgets). And these lovely smart watches have a built in HRM. Awesome! Right? Well...
If you read the owner's manual you'll see that a HRM on your writs doesn't accurately measure many kinds of exercises. A HRM on your wrist does best when you're doing a rhythmic workout like walking, running, or swimming (if it's waterproof). But other things - not so much. Weight lifting, HIIT and many body exercises where your wrists are bent (think push-ups and planks) are not accurately measured by a HRM on the wrist. In my own experience I've found this to be quite true. I would be huffing and puffing, heart racing, only to look down at my watch and see... 59 BPM??? No way! Having previously worn a chest strap for many years, I know what my heart rate probably is and it was NOT 59 BPM!!!
Now, I could go into my closet, dust off the old chest strap and wear two watches - but I want accurate data, and I don't want to have multiple devices and apps that I need to cross reference and put together to get a clear picture of my calorie burn. Plus the Apple Watch doesn't let you edit workout data (unlike my old Fitbit, I could go into the app and manually override the calorie data) so even if I know my correct calorie burn from the chest strap, I wouldn't be able to save that data in my Apple Watch app. Plus, wearing two devices can be uncomfortable. I would would still want to wear the Apple Watch so that I get my rings closed!
For a long while I was OK with the inaccurate HR (and therefore, calorie counts) of the lone wrist monitor. I told myself - perfect accuracy wan't important! A general overall picture of activity and health were perfectly OK! But deep down the data nerd within was unsatisfied. I knew my data was wrong and it bothered me.
And so I started looking into chest strap monitors that would integrate with Apple Watch, and I eventually settled on the Wahoo Tickr. First, it was the brand recommended to work best with the Beachbody On Demand app (not that I use that app anyway because it works kind of wonky and records my workouts twice - also inaccurate data!). Second, it was the right price on Amazon. I got the more basic model with fewer features for slightly less than $50.
Let me start with the Apple Watch integration - so far, it has worked flawlessly! I go into my watch settings, tap on bluetooth, tap on the connect button, and voila! Connected! Then I tap the workout app on my watch, start working out, and I can see the HR reading from the Wahoo! And now when I'm huffing and puffing and my HR reads 178 BPM I think, "Yes! That's more like it!". And my calorie burn is a lot more accurate. Which is what makes me happiest 😀 The strap itself is very comfortable made from a soft material (my old one was pretty scratchy by comparison), and it cleans up pretty easily. It has a replaceable button battery so I also don't have to remember to plug it into a charger.
Overall if you're looking for a chest strap that integrates well with Apple Watch and won't break the bank I would recommend the Wahoo Tickr. If you don't mind much the inaccuracies of a wrist monitor, then it may not be worth it to you. But, if you love data - accurate data - as much as I do, then this device will serve you well.
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