FitSugar

Fit For February: Must Haves

FitSugar — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:30:36 PST

It's February and we have red, pink, and hearts on the brain. Whether you're loving your sweetie for Valentine's Day or giving yourself a healthy makeover in honor of American Heart Month, we've got you covered in our February Must Haves.

Gear Review: Polar Heart Rate Monitor Is Nike+ Compatible

FitSugar — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:00:56 PDT

Using the Nike+ system to chart my walks and runs has been quite motivational. I love to compare my workouts, see how I'm progressing, and monitor my weekly mileage. Nike teamed up with Polar to offer the Polar WearLink+ Transmitter ($65), a heart rate monitor that's compatible with your Nike+ system. If you have a fifth generation iPod Nano or a Nike+ Sportband (sorry, it doesn't work with an iPod Touch or iPhone yet), you can not only keep track of your time, distance, pace, and calories burned, but now you can also chart your heart rate for each workout.

Curious to know how it works? Then keep reading.

New Study Says Women Are Working Out Too Hard

FitSugar — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 08:00:57 PDT

At one time or another we've all experienced an "OMG I feel like I'm going to die" moment while working out. Our heart feels like it's bursting from our chest, we're sweating buckets, and our bodies feel like rubber. Well, ladies, we may have been working out too hard. A new study from Northwestern Medicine says that the formula women have been using for decades to calculate their peak heart rate is wrong, and results in a number that is too high. This standard formula is what heart rate monitors, whether portable or built into cardio equipment, base calculations on for determining different workout zones. And if you use these devices to determine the pace of your workout, you're working harder than you need to.

Using the standard heart rate formula, you subtract your age from 220 to determine your maximum heart rate. But under the new formula - based on a study of 5,437 healthy women ages 35 and older - you subtract 88 percent of your age from 206. It's a little trickier, but nothing that can't be done on a calculator. While the difference in heart rates between the formulas isn't enough to send anyone into cardiac arrest, it's still significant. Having a more accurate reflection of our peak heart rate means we can adjust our workouts, which will give us more endurance before burning out. And for those of us that gauge workouts and heart health this way, the new formula takes on even more significance.

Nike+ Heart Rate Monitor Coming June 1

FitSugar — Wed, 19 May 2010 13:30:03 PDT

Ever since my iPhone with integrated Nike+ arrived, I've been charting my walks and runs with it every time I work out. I am more than a little excited that soon there will be a new accessory to add to the Nike+ system. Last Fall, Nike hinted that not only would the iPhone be able to track your time, distance, speed, and calories burned, but that it would also be able to monitor your heart rate. Finally, the Nike+ system goes all-in-one.

It looks like that idea comes to fruition and users on June 1. Engadget reported that come the beginning of next month, "Nike will deliver a Nike+ heart rate monitor iPod accessory to the US." This gadget will allow you to view your heart rate as you move while listening to your favorite tunes. We're still waiting on details about design, color, price, and which devices it will be compatible with, so we'll have to be patient for a couple of weeks. This sounds like something I'd be into, but tell me, do you think you'll get one?

Gear Review: Garmin FR60 Heart Rate Monitor

FitSugar — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 09:00:54 PDT

Ever since I started "listening to my heart" during workouts, I have been a Polar gal. But many FitSugar readers have expressed their love for Garmin heart rate monitors - especially the GPS/mileage tracking features on Garmin products.

Garmin sent me the FR60 with foot pod ($199) to test out. The HRM monitor comes bundled with different accessories and mine came with a watch, chest strap, food pod, and ANT stick. The pink watch is cute and not too big, and the tiny foot pod, which doesn't need to be calibrated, claims to be 98 percent accurate.

There's nothing like testing out gear to motivate me to run. I must admit, me and my very cute pink watch started out a little rocky, but I do think it is a great piece of training gear. To read what I think about about the heart rate monitor,

While the watch is rather feminine, the buttons are difficult to push, adding to my frustration as I set up my watch. Both the programming setup and the button configuration are not intuitive to me at all. For instance, when you press the large "Start/Stop" button at the bottom center of the watch, you enter a programming mode for the watch rather than starting the workout. This seems odd to me since I only wear this watch for exercising and don't need to change the time or date on the timepiece all that often. Also, to end a workout you don't press "Stop," this just pauses a workout. You need to hold the lap button for three seconds. But why not give the user a prompt once they press the stop button to either pause their workout or save it? That would seem easier to me.

Once I did figure out how to navigate the programming, the readouts on the watch are infinitely variable. You can pick what information you want to appear on five scrolling screens with up to three fields each. You can choose speed, distance, heart rate, heart rate zone, cadence, average cadence, calories burned, and on and on. You can choose for all these screens to automatically scroll while you're running or only change only when you press the up or down buttons. There is an auto lap feature and you can set the distance, or manually enter your laps with a (hard) press of the lap button. If you're the competitive type, you can race against a virtual runner. The choices are endless, and if you have the time it's fun to personalize your heart rate monitor.

The ANT stick is a handy feature, especially if you like viewing data of your runs. After loading the Garmin software to your computer (they have programs for both Macs and PCs - yay!) and plugging the ANT stick into a USB port, the foot pod and watch "talk" directly to your computer and upload all your stats. The system will even share information with a Tanita BC 1000 scale, which measures body fat along with weight.

The FR60 can be used both indoors and out. If you're into cycling, Garmin has a bike accessory ($60) that's compatible with the FR60. You can also use the heart rate monitor for "general fitness" to track just your heart rate and calories burned.

All in all, after a rough start, I have come to really like this Garmin system. What do you work out with? Tell me below.

Advice Wanted From the Community: Heart Rate Monitors

Fit Community — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:30:41 PDT

FitSugar reader ShelleyHFan needs advice picking out a new heart rate monitor. Can you suggest a good one?

Hi Everyone,

I am intent on starting a fitness routine and I want to get off on the right foot. I want to increase my energy level and get heart healthy. I was thinking of investing in a heart rate monitor because I want to begin with a walk program, and then a walk/run program. I think I should get a monitor that will help me with what my heart zones are and what range to stay in, etc.

I was wondering if anyone could recommend something fairly simple to use that will help me with my fitness goals. I think my budget allows for anything that is between $75 and $125, but I'm open to any suggestions regardless of price. Do you know of any new, top quality heart rate monitors, or any model that fits my goal?

I want to follow the many walk/run programs I've read about here on FitSugar (and elsewhere), and maybe participate in a half marathon one day (of course not to stress my heart, just strengthen it).

I love reading FitSugar, I always learn something new and how there are so many options to choose from and ways to get fit.

Thank you for all that you do, and the cool Fit groups!

Sincerely,

Shelley

If you have any fitness questions, post them in one of our many community groups like the RunningSugar community group, where the conversation is running 24/7.

Adidas Unveils miCoach at CES

FitSugar — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:30:37 PST

The Consumer Electronics Show, aka CES, is taking place in Las Vegas right now. And it makes sense that at this convention of electronic gadgetry Adidas chose to introduce its portable coaching device, the miCoach. Adidas brought a handful of fitness bloggers up to Vegas to attend the press conference, and I was lucky to be among them.

The miCoach takes heart rate training to a whole new level and an audible one at that. After going to the miCoach website and figuring out your running workouts and regimen (from beginner to race training), it works like this: You place the small stride sensor on your shoe (or inside, if you have a pair of Adidas miCoach compatible shoes) and wear the heart-rate-monitor strap around your chest. Theses two devices send information about your speed and heart rate to the miCoach Pacer you have attached via wire to your MP3 player (including iPods), as you run the miCoach lowers the volume on your MP3 player to tell you to speed up or slow down and which heart rate zone you should be in.

I have yet to play around with the miCoach, but I sure am excited to. Stay tuned for a review of the gadget.

View 4 Photos ›

Gear Review: Polar RS300X Heart Rate Monitor With Foot Pod

FitSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:00:29 PDT

I love training with a heart rate monitor, and Polar is my favorite brand. These days I have been working out with the RS300X ($170). Designed with running in mind, this HRM is great for other sports as well.

For me, the feature that distinguishes this heart rate monitor from others I have used in the past is the big red lap button at the bottom of the watch face. Press it, and the watch saves your stats for that lap, but keeps on recording the rest of your workout. When you're done with your workout, the RS300X breaks down your workout data by lap as well as giving your info on your overall workout. It is great for working out at the track when running repeat distances or when training with negative splits. When combined with the S1 Foot Pod ($130), the heart rate monitor tracks your speed and distance as well - perfect for all the type A runners out there.

For more of my opinion, keep reading.

Polar Heart Monitor Help on Twitter

FitSugar — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:00:00 PDT

Twitter is not just a frivolous social networking site, it is a place where you can have important questions answered. Recently, I twittered Chris@PolarUSA this question:
"How can I get my FT60 HRM to work in the pool? Shows HR before getting in water, but not while I swim. Please help."

He replied promptly and here is what he had to say:

Next time I swam laps, I tightened my chest strap and once again my HRM monitor worked in the pool. For those of you unfamiliar with Buh Bump it is a heart rate monitor electrode cream, which helps the electrodes in the chest strap read your heart rate.

Speaking of Polar heart rate monitors, we gave a few away a while back, and I would like to announce the lucky winners. They are:

I hope these winners know they can contact Chris with any questions about their new Polar fitness gear.

Win a Polar Heart Rate Monitor With GPS!

FitSugar — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:06:39 PDT

If you heart this month's Polar heart rate monitor giveaways, then you won't want to miss this week's, because we've saved the best for last!

Starting today, you can enter to win a Polar FT60 in raspberry (pictured), with a G1 GPS sensor and a FlowLink to connect the gadget to your PC. Total prize worth more than $500!

This wristwatch monitor tracks your heart rate and calories burned, while the GPS device records your speed and distance. You can also use it to set fitness goals and keep tabs on all your workouts. Check out my review for more details, then enter the giveaway by logging in and taking the quiz by 1 p.m. PDT on Tuesday, March 24. Your eligibility is not based on answering the questions correctly, just on completing the quiz once you are logged in. Read up on the official rules here.

Take the Quiz