Heart Rate Monitor

On Monday I decided that if I was going to get more accurate with my weight loss and my running that I needed to order a heart rate monitor.  I decided to order a Polar FT4 from Amazon.  It was on the lower end of the nicer models, but had all the features that I wanted.  It allows you to input your age, weight, and height and it gives you a target heart rate and will beep if you are outside of that heart rate.  You can even wear it while swimming.  I had read that it would not give you calories burned while it was active that you had to wait until you had ended you session, but I found that was not true.  I was able to press the button during my workout and see how many calories I had burned.

The monitor comes with an online program that allows you to register online and enter your info after each workout so you can see if you are improving. I personally do not find the need to do this as my times will show if I am improving, but I did register so that I could see what it calculated my BMR to be to see what it had my calorie consumption to be at. 

When I first started working out I started logging my calories on a website called myfitnesspal.com  While I still use their website and their app on my phone, they grossly under estimate the calories that I need by about HALF!  I was under eating my calories by about 1,000 a day so my body was starving!  Now that I am trying to eat more it is hard to work up to those calories, but at least I have an answer as to why my hair was falling out, and why I was holding on to all my weight, and gaining some :-(

I am hoping this new "toy" helps.  I wore it yesterday and I was actually shocked that it was pretty in line with what my treadmill had said I was burning.    I really thought that it would be way off.

I planned to wear it last night while riding my bike, but the tires are flat.  I was going to ride it today but now it is raining.  I am going to do the treadmill today, and yoga later today.