Things we LOVE. Polar Heart Rate Monitor

Polar F4 Heart Rate Monitor
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Back in January when I began my health and fitness journey, I decided to purchase a heart rate monitor. My father had purchased one after his heart attack as a way of measuring his heart rate when exercising and it intrigued me. (It’s important for people who have had heart attacks to stay within certain limits)

I read up a bit on heart rate monitors and thought it would be interesting to use as a tool for my runs. I have run in the past, but I always tend to push too hard too soon. I am a long distance runner, not a sprinter. I understand that I need to pace myself if I want to run the distance. I knew this watch would tell me if I honestly was pushing myself too hard, or if I was just a weenie.

Turns out, I really was pushing too hard. The first day I stepped on the treadmill with it and jogged, it didn’t take much before my heart rate was in the high 190’s. If you read up a bit on heart rate training, you will learn that you should exercise anywhere between 60-80% of your Maximum Heart Rate. (To learn more about your Max Heart Rate, click here.) For me that would be keeping my heart rate around the 150’s-160’s. There is no way I can run for 30 minutes with my heart rate that high. I needed to slow down a bit. So, instead of feeling defeated and weak, I slowed down and worked my way up to running at higher speeds.

It was amazing to see how my heart rate steadily lowered itself in the following weeks. I was able to run at higher speeds on the treadmill while keeping my heart rate within the 80% zone. It was another way to measure my success – I knew my heart and body was getting stronger… I was able to run harder and longer without getting wiped out as quickly.

I didn’t want a watch with too many overwhelming bells and whistles. This watch measures your heart rate (it comes with a chest strap – once you put the chest strap on you can hardly tell it’s there), it measures calories burned (my favorite measure!) time spent exercising, time spent in the Target Heart Rate Zone (you can decide what that is for you based upon your goals) and a few other things. It’s very user friendly and moderately priced.

I feel naked without it when exercising. I have been known to drive back home after leaving the house without it.

I picked mine up at Target because a) Target is in close proximity to my home b) I always look for an excuse to go to Target c) It was one of the cheaper places to purchase it without having to pay for shipping

If you have any particular questions about the heart rate monitor – ask away! I would be more than happy to show you the watch and it’s features at one of our weekly meetings.