Heart Monitors

To the uninitiated, a heart monitor sounds like a scary, medical device that you’d only find in a hospital emergency room, doesn’t it? Well guess again. This monitor is really an instrument used to measure the wearer’s heart rate in order to gather specific statistical information while exercising.

Who needs a heart rate monitor? Anyone who wants to analyze such things as breathing rate, optimal heart rate zone time period, calories burned, body temperature, distance, and speed while he or she exercises can benefit from one. Not every monitor measures all of these categories. Some models allow you to download the gathered information to a computer and some allow it to be accessed remotely. Obviously, heart monitors can be excellent weight-management tools and can take the guesswork out of the math behind losing weight or measuring athletic performance.

The monitors come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Some are worn on your wrist, others on your hand, and there are even ones built into sports bras. Some are worn only during exercise, while others are worn and track your information around the clock. Some are on plastic straps and some are on fabric, both with their own advantages and disadvantages. Decide exactly what it is that you want from your monitor and research thoroughly what’s available in the market before choosing one that’s just right for you.

See available heart monitors here.

Discuss using a heart monitor during exercise with your doctor first to get his or her approval.