Recommendation? Heart Monitor

[Piso Mojado]

Out of rehab and back to the gym. I need a simple wrist monitor with a chest band for the gym and for riding my bike at home. I don't want to wear it 24/7. I don't want a wrist band that works with a smart phone. I don't need GPS, calorie counters, multiple workouts, record keeping, computer link, etc. I'm not training for a marathon, I just want to stay on my feet.

1. Price under $75. Lower is better.
2. Do-it-yourself battery change is a big plus.
3. Discontinued models OK. I know how to shop.

Given the above, I'm not afraid of features if they don't get in my way. If you think a Timex Ironman Road Trainer would be better for me than a cheap Omron, tell me why.

 

[Sid Post]

Skip the chest bands. They are a lot more trouble than they are worth. If I could find mine and the Timex watch it worked with, I'd send it on. At this point, it is probably in a landfill somewhere.

Fitbit, Samsung, Garmin and similar make "watch" heart rate monitors that also generally track steps, calories, and sleep in the ~$75 to ~$150 range. The last Fitbit 'watch' I got was ~$80 at my door and tracked my heart rate and steps pretty well.

You can buy cheaper but, FitBit is about as low on the food chain as I will go for something to track my heart rate. Plain and simple, it works reliably and is easy to put on and take off.

Apps and phones are optional for the vast majority of fitness trackers FWIW. Today, I would personally buy a Samsung Gear or Garmin Vivoactive HR but, both will run a bit over $100 with Black Friday deals.

 

[annr]

What are you trying to monitor? Pulse? Rhythm? Just curious.

 

[Piso Mojado]

Thanks, Sid! No doubt about it, for a fitness tracker you'll wear all the time or much of the time, a chest band is not the way to go. And the cheap wrist watch/chest band combinations are mostly discontinued. I saw the handwriting on the wall two years ago when Prez switched.

Camping, hiking, working out or just shooting hoops, he always wore $50 closeout watches from the nearest sporting goods store. Now he has a Fitbit Surge and he wears it everywhere.

I'm impressed. Track your heart rate, steps, stairs — track your sleep. What's not to like about that? Except the price . . .

Nevertheless, if you run or cycle 60–90 minutes a day and just want to monitor your heart rate, a chest band/wrist watch is all you really need. They're cheap. You'll find lots of new old stock on eBay, dealer closeouts and closet cleanouts. I invested $65 in three of them and I'll start reviewing next week.

 

[Piso Mojado]

What are you trying to monitor? Pulse? Rhythm? Just curious.

Moi? Just heart rate. A therapist put me on a bike with a chest band linked to his iPad, and I pedaled for all I was worth while he stuck me and tested my blood glucose. Definitely something you couldn't do yourself, and worth the $25 copay. When we finished and he did the math, he said my optimum range for aerobics was 112–117 beats per minute. I asked why so low, and he said more would do different things. If my primary goal was burning fat, 112-117 would give the best result for the time I put in.

Next day update: He used a Polar H7, a $70 chest strap with iOS and Android apps. It's a common institutional choice when they don't need a stress test machine.

 

[gadgetgeek]

I wore a fitbit HR daily for two years, and have since stopped. They are good enough for a general idea of what your heart is doing, but the resolution just isn't there for getting good medical data. The heart rates are +/- 10% or more and with 15 minute reading windows, it didn't get me enough info as it would often miss short burst activity.

 

[annr]

Moi? Just heart rate. A therapist put me on a bike with a chest band linked to his iPad, and I pedaled for all I was worth while he stuck me and tested my blood glucose. Definitely something you couldn't do yourself, and worth the $25 copay. When we finished and he did the math, he said my optimum range for aerobics was 112–117 beats per minute. I asked why so low, and he said more would do different things. If my primary goal was burning fat, 112-117 would give the best result for the time I put in.

Interesting! I wish you the best!

I’ve only worn a heart monitor from the hospital—fortunately everything was fine—and I was curious about the sophistication of these mass market units.

Thanks for the info— I didn’t know how they determined optimal target heart rate. I walk ~1.5 miles/day on very hilly terrain and gauge my fitness by how well I can cruise up and down these hills. Never thought of monitoring.

ETA: what type of therapist does this? Through a doctor referral?

 

[Piso Mojado]

Interesting! I wish you the best!

I’ve only worn a heart monitor from the hospital—fortunately everything was fine—and I was curious about the sophistication of these mass market units.

Thanks for the info— I didn’t know how they determined optimal target heart rate. I walk ~1.5 miles/day on very hilly terrain and gauge my fitness by how well I can cruise up and down these hills. Never thought of monitoring.

ETA: what type of therapist does this? Through a doctor referral?

I went to Illinois Bone & Joint, a chain of 17 orthopedic clinics. They're a factory, but competent and good enough for things orthopedic surgery is good for, i.e. the extremities more than the back. Cause was extreme pain in my left knee. I went to my internist first for a recommendation. I have PPO and didn't need a referral, but she would have given one. The orthopedist took x-rays and fixed my knee with a huge cortisone injection. The billing clerk said my insurance would cover physical therapy at IB&J with a $25 copay, so I signed for that. Got the heart rate test on my second visit, the therapists had to get me on the technician's calendar.

Tell your internist what you want and why. A good internist will tell you if you're covered and give you a referral or recommendation.

FYI, the Fitbit app uses the formula 220 minus age for maximum heart rate, from which it sets three heart rate zones: peak (85–100%), cardio (70–84%) and fat burn (50%–69%). Its cardio zone is closest to what my tech recommended: 105–126 (Fitbit) vs. 112–117 (IB&J). Use that formula if you can't afford a test.

 

[annr]

A good internist will tell you if you're covered and give you a referral or recommendation.

This made me laugh. I agree a good one would know what to do, I'm just not sure about mine...

My internist sent me a letter after the monitoring. I think she was trying to tell me she wasn't going to recommend doing anything about it, and she used the phrase: "your experiencing." This should have read "you're experiencing" or better yet, "you are experiencing."

The whole thing was gobbledygook. She ended the main sentence with "generally." Nothing too definitive there...because I'm guessing she doesn't know much about cardiology, and the test didn't pop with any horrible results, "generally."

 

[Sid Post]

Best Buy has the Garmin Vivofit HR on sale for $120. While a bit out of your price range, it has a lot of features you may find useful. It also supports ANT+ for various health related apps.