Heart Rate Monitor

[Ernie]

Hi,

I was shopping for a watch with a HR monitor.

I want a continuous HR monitor but the watches I found with it have a band around the waist. For bandless watch, I have to push the button for 5 seconds to get my HR.

Does the watch that I need exist? If yes, where can I buy it?

[firewatcher]

HI!

The watches that don't have the chest strap don't work as well. They are notoriously inaccurate to begin with, and the chest strap is not uncomfortable. I looked into many and finally got a bottom of the line armitron off ebay for $15 (shipping included.) I know, I'm cheap! I did not even know if it would work for me, but it tracks my tachycardia and bradycardia really well, just no memory. For an accurate investment, the Polar F6 (I think) is the best bet. Some of them even have a port to put into your computer and will give you graphs and averages. If the docs can't find the pulse in my wrist, I was not going to rely on a watch! Let us know what you get!

Jennifer

[yogini]

Ernie,

I haven't seen a model with continous info without a chest strap. I have Polar heart rate monitors with the chest strap. The watch is EKG accurate - which means you get the same info as if you were hooked up to an EKG. The continuous info is helpful, b/c you can see HR changes from sitting to standing and during exercise. Some models now come with a soft chest strap (elastic with just a piece of plastic in the middle). You get used to the strap quickly - it goes right under your bra and after a while it feels like part of the bra!

[Sunfish]

i think nina has posted before that she has one without a chest strap....miss mouse?

[Sunfish]

hi ernie -

i found a post where nina mentions her watch which she seems to like & which doesn't have a chest strap. it's a mia, but the detailed info is in this post:http://dinet.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=10510&st=0&p=96147entry96147.

hope this helps!

melissa

[MightyMouse]

Hey there sunny fishy, sorry I missed this one last night. My mio doesn't give a continuous readout; it's a few years old now. I'll do some internet hunting to see if maybe I can find one that does... mine takes anywhere from 2 to 5 seconds to give me an ecg accurate reading once I hit the button.

Nina

[MightyMouse]

Okay, I did some poking around on the internet. First, I will say I don't own any of these myself so I can't attest to how well they work...nor do I have any affiliation with the sites I'm linking to... I'm not suggesting you buy any of these, just showing you what I found based on what you said you're looking for. There, now that I've dispatched with my disclaimer... here's what I found.

Here's one that DOES give a continuous readout, but it requires that you have your fingers on the button to do it.

http://www.heartratemonitor.co.uk/easy_touch.html

and I can't tell if this one requires you to keep your fingers on it or not--but it also does a continuous readout

http://bodytronics.com/PROD/EPULSE?s=sc

and this one also looks like it gives a continuous readout, and is a glove-like thing that only covers your thumb and wrist...and it's pretty inexpensive compared to the other ones I saw in my online hunting.

http://bodytronics.com/PROD/strapless/PGBA...CFQOIFQodIy6rFA

This one is similar to the glove but looks to have more functions and is in the same price range.

http://www.shopwiki.com/detail/d=Mark_Of_F.../jumpToFirst=t/

[flop]

Hi Ernie,

the way that these HR monitors work is to measure the electrical activity of the heart. For this they need to read electrical movement from one part of your body to another (where the electical pathway would cross the heart). For the chest straps they have a sensor on either side of the chest, for the watch types I have only seen ones that use the back of the watch against your forearm and a finger from the opposite hand.

I have both types of watch. The strap one is much more useful but isn't always comfy to wear (especially with an underwire bra). My cheap push-the-button watch does give a continual readout but only while you are holding the button down so it takes both hands.

The alternative way of getting a Hr reading is to use a portable pulse-oximetry device. These give continuous readings of both HR and oxygen saturations. I have one that I picked-up second hand for ?35 (I think they can be very expensive) which fits on a finger (measures about 5x 3x 3cm). I often carry it in my pocket so I can get a quick reading when I want one.

If you do find a watch that doesn't need you to hold a button please share (I'm off to read Nina's links now).

Flop

[flop]

I've now read Nina's links and done a bit more googling too. The ePulse watch really does seem to be strapless and not need you to touch a button for continuous readout. This article describes it in a bit more detail.

Flop

[Csmith3]

Ernie

Can't answer your direct question, but had a thought. In the days when I ran and cared about my heart rate for a different reason, I found a sports bra where the front part of a HR monitor fits into some slots in the normal elastic bit at the bottom of the bra so you don't have to wear the uncomfortable elastic belt that comes with a HR monitor. It was designed with the Polar monitors in mind. The design also stops the monitor slipping down. The one I had was from a UK manufacturer Triumph (Pulsebeat range), but no doubt there are others available. I wouldn't say it was the most comfortable thing ever, but it did address some of the downsides of having a HR monitor with a chest strap.

Catherine

[Ernie]

Hi,

Thank you very much for your advice. After reading all your posts I went shopping again and decided to buy a Polar F6. It has a strap but I think I will get used to it fast. The F6 is synchronised to my strap so that when I train with other people with heart monitors I only get my readings.

When I got home I changed from my compression hoses to my compression socks. My HR increased to 10 bpm higher each time I stood up with the socks than with the hoses. So I already knew that I felt better with the hoses but now I have the proof that it help with vasoconstriction.

Love you all.

[MightyMouse]

I ended up buying the last one I linked to and wanted to let you all know it's worked well for me--it does give a continuous readout--and I haven't finished reading the instructions as I've been so foggy headed the past few days...but supposedly I can set zones to give me an audible alert if I go above or below. It's fairly comfortable to wear, but it does have to be wrapped firmly around the base of the index finger to get a good reading all the time and over time that can be a little annoying. I've worn it for 2 hours at a time and it's not lost a signal... interesting to see that my heart rate pretty much hovers between 110 and 160 all day when I'm not doing any strenuous activity--and it pops up higher (210 or so) and drops into the 40s at times too.

Just thought I'd share that the Mark Of Fitness MF180 works for me in the event anyone was curious if it actually works.

[EarthMother]

Yippee! Good to know the Mark Of Fitness MF180 works Nina, I just bought one yesterday at Amazon. I had to return my Omron HEM-637 Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor that arrived Monday ... I just couldn't get a standing blood pressure.

[MightyMouse]

E.M. just keep in mind that it doesn't take bp, just hr.

Nina

[seb10]

Hey all,

I spent about a month trying to find a HRM that would give a continuous HR without having to wear a band. I looked eeeeeeeeeeverywhere and couldn't find any like that. If they didn't have a band you'd have to hold down a button for so long to get a reading, and if it did have a continuous reading they required wearing a band.

Anyway, I have gotten both kinds of HRM and found that I like the continuous reading/band more. I thought it would be really annoying wearing it, but it sits just below my bra so it almost feels like a part of it. Every now and again I have to adjust it slightly, but not very often. It just is way more convenient because at any time I can just glance at my watch and see what my heart was doing.

With the no band/press-button-for-5-seconds type of HRM it was just a pain in the behind. Sometimes it wouldn't register my HR no matter how long I held the button down. And by the time it finally did, it was minutes after I actually wanted to check it. So I returned that one.

SO, short-story long (haha!), I found the continuous monitor with the band to be way less of a hassle.

Hope this helps!

Sarah

[EarthMother]

I got my Mark Of Fitness MF180 two days ago and simply love it. It does continuous monitoring without pressing a button or wearing a strap, however it does have a wrap around your index finger. The device is attached to a velco wrap that goes on your left hand. Since it is a separate mechanism (i.e. relatively easy to attach and re-attach) I may try and fit it with one of my fingerless gloves that I wear -- purely for comfort reasons. I have a bio-feedback device on my computer that I can test the accuracy and the Mark Of Fitness MF180 is right on the nose.

[EarthMother]

Just another note about the "Mark of Fitness" monitor ... it is selling under two branding names -- at two different prices. If you search Amazon the lower priced item is called "Prevention HR-180PV/MF-180PV Chest Belt-Free Heart Rate Monitor".

On a more important note ... I spoke with the vendor (mark of fitness) this morning who are in NJ and they said that they are not longer carrying this item. What last ones are out at stores will be the last in stock. The representative explained that this product is produced in Japan and they are unable to obtain any more.

Not that folks should run out an buy this by any means ... I think the watches are probably way more discreet. But if anyone was considering this item on their wish list, I just wanted to pass along what I learned this morning.

~EM