Best Fitness Products February 2013

I love seeing all my stats after a workout, from calories burned to miles covered, and the RC3 GPS heart-rate monitor ($350) from Polar does all this and so much more. The easy-to-use and surprisingly slim watch uses built-in GPS technology to track speed and distance and map your route while recording important stats like your heart rate and training intensity. Enter your goals, and the watch will even provide personalized coaching after a simple fitness test. The instant feedback certainly helps me focus my training. The watch has settings for running and cycling (you can purchase the cycling set with a cadence sensor for an additional $20), but you can always turn off the GPS feature and just track your heart rate while strength training. The heart-rate monitor also syncs and charges (for up to 12 hours of use) with a computer via a USB cord, making it easy to track stats and routes.

— Susi May, fitness director