Heart Rate Monitors and Fitbit

[Colinm39]

I have started this topic so that we can build some history about  what Fitbitters are using to help improve their Fitness, especially with the exertive, above waist effort.

I use a Polar rs300x for the very heavy effort and a MIO Sport wrist touch HRM for the opportunistic walks. All work well but I had to do the Rockport Walking test for my Vo2 for the Polar HRM because it calculates your Vo2 based on the resting heart rate. Mine is 53 bpm and gets down to 42 when I'm asleep (just woken). By adjusting that I now have both HRM's reading within 5 calories on a 30 minutes stationary bike activity.

I have supplemented that with Total Heart Rate Training: Customize and Maximize Your Workout Using a Heart Rate Monitor (Paperback) By (author) Joe Friel.

I know we have the MIO Alpha, many Polars and other brands. It would be nice to hear from those who have the total package HRM, Pedometer and Calories all in one. They were hitting the market last year but I haven't seen much activity on the Internet.

I look forward to seeing your comments.

[WendyB]

Hi Colin

That book sounds interesting I will look into it

I use a Polar FT7 I have also set it to my Vo2
Using this website

http://www.howtobefit.com/determine-maximum-heart-rate.htm

I recenetly bought The Polar Loop
http://www.polar.com/us-en/products/get_active/fitness_crosstraining/loop

I like this so far. I got it because it can be used in Water and I swim a lot.
I was hoping it would work with my Bluetooth Transmitter I already have but it does not.

I have not shelled out the money for the new Bluetooth yet. To close to christmas and it is on my wish list  The loop does it all if you have the chest strap.

I have not really researched any of the others

So right now I am using the fitbit and the Loop

I am a gadet girl

I am interested in what others have to say as well

[LilBudyWizer]

My Mio Alpha should be arriving tomorrow, should have been here today. I don't have a whole lot of faith in optical sensors though. I tried the ePulse 2 and myTREK. The ePulse 2 didn't work worth a crap. The myTREK seems to do well enough with heart rate, but the bluetooth was no where near powerful enough. I had to wear the phone on the same side as the device to pick it up at all and lost connection constantly. Reviews on their new Rythym seems to say they didn't correct that problem in their new version. I would have liked the Basis B1 Band, but they apparently have a lot of problems with heart rate if there's much motion to the arm. I'll see how the Mio Alpha works.

Overall I don't find HRM's to be of much use on calories. My resting heart rate is like 80 and that seems to make every estimate off an HRM way over. I get estimates of like 600 calories/hour walking. They put way more weight into heart rate than it actually is as a part of the work you're doing. Hydration, humidity and temperature all can have a significant impact on heart rate while having a trivial impact on the calories you burn. I think it's a great feedback tool, but I just don't see as a good tool for calories.

[Colinm39]

I proved last summer on a very hot day I had both of my HRM's and I was just sitting around. The temperature was 100+oF (39+oC) and the massive error in the calories was obvious. When you take into account my RHR is around 53bpm. The calories on the MIO sport touch HRM and the Rs300x were the same but they were as if I was walking at 4.5mph. My HR was 96 just sitting. Lesson learnt.

[Mary]

Yeah, I've worn a HRM in hot yoga class at 105 degrees and the calorie burn was way higher than is possible.  

I'm not a huge fan of a HRM, outside of interval training.  

Another tool I was interested in that you don't hear much about is the Misfit Shine.  It's basically a Fitbit in functionality but designed to be more fashionable, can track swimming and cycling, and can be worn on the wrist, torso or a pendant.  It's more costly, with those accessories really adding up quickly.  

The Withings Pulse looks cool, too, but it's basically a One but with a spot pulse reader instead of the vibration alarms.  

[Doug]

Conceptually, I have always wondered how any device (including the Misfit Shine) can be accurate when you aren't telling it where you are wearing it.  The accelerometers are the same of course, but the algorithms for translating movements into steps seems like they should differ depending on location.  I also prefer just using BLE to my phone to see current data instead of needing to place it on the screen -- especially when I'm actively walking.

I had been waiting for the Pulse to start shipping when the Flex was announced last May.  I didn't want a wrist based model, but decided the Fitbit One was close enough in function to the Pulse that I'd quit waiting for the Pulse which had passed its project 1Q 2013 date with no update on when it would ship.

I'm a loyal One user now.  And just use my phone to get my morning resting HR or other times I want to check the current rate.  In my book, a real advantage of the Fitbit has been the motivation from friend and group leader boards, an active online community, etc.

[Mary]

With the Misfit Shine you DO tell it where you're wearing it.  I think it's cool that it has the programming available for all the ways of wearing it.  But I also didn't like the synch method.  I wanted to wear it as a pendant and I think you even had to remove it from the pendant to synch.  Major pain.  Though it does have an in-device display with limited data, kind of like the Flex.  

I really researched all the options before upgrading my Fitbit Classic to a One.  I kind of wanted new toys/interfaces but nothing really hit the bases as well as the One for me.  

[Doug]

Mary:  Thanks; I stand corrected.  I (obviously) didn't recall it did let you do that.  As they say, your memory is the second thing to go but I don't remember what the first is!

Like you, I find the One is a great combination of features.  I wish it charged via micro-USB like the Pulse, but the dongle is not a deal breaker since I only charge about once a week and sit at a desk.  It is very easy to keep charged.

[Mary]

I kind of wish it had a disposable battery like the Zip.  

You might be right about the Shine, my memory is pretty bad, too!  I think it also 'tracks' swimming and cycling by you going in and telling it 'ok, I'm swimming now', then it switches to that set of programming.  

It must've been a job to program, if they had to do it for the various activites AND all those bodily locations.  The iterations get up there quickly.  

[Doug]

Since I don't trust my memory, I looked up their FAQ on Where do I wear my shine? and it says:

  "With our necklace, wristbands and clasp accessories you can wear Shine anywhere - hip, wrist, neck, chest, waist, shoe, bra, etc. However, you will find that certain locations may give better results for certain activities. For example - if you wear Shine on your wrist while biking, it will not record much activity since your wrist doesn’t move very much. "

I haven't found an entry that says you can tell the app where you wear it.  And based on the above, I don't think it accounts for all the iterations possible for type of activity and where it is worn.  Or at least yet.  Firmware and app updates can always add features.

But the same could be said of Fitbit.  In theory, they change the firmware of any model to have more algorithms so you could say you put it on your shoe or ankle or whevever they honed the algorithms to accomodate.

I'm still very happy with my One -- at this point if I lost it, I'd replace with another One instead of something else.

[Doug]

I looked for more info on the Misfit Shine app, and found the following in a review at PC Mag:

  "The Shine can discern between walking, running, swimming, or cycling, but the last two require an extra step for tracking. In the app, you can designate an "activity" mode that alerts the Shine to a certain activity. You can choose between sleep, swim, or cycle, and activate the mode by tapping three times on the Shine's face..."

So I stand corrected again.  I think it is time to sit down!  Or go for a walk...

[Mary]

Thanks for correcting me about the 'location setting' (that apparently doesn't exist).  I wonder if I read that in a review?  Or I could've dreamed it.  It sure seems like there should be a setting!  I mean, the Flex and One seem like they could be one interchangeable unit with both a clip and wrist band, if there was a setting to tell which mode you chose to wear it.  There's the 'dominant wrist' setting.  Why not a torso setting? 

[WendyB]

I was just reading about the Shine. I it a pain to go into the app and tell it what you are doing?

It looks like a neat little gadget

[Doug]

I've not used the app or Shine, so can't give first hand experience.  The website is not very explicit either.  But as I interpret the PC Magazine review I linked above, the mobile app does not yet (or at that time anyway) have more options than swimming or cycling as activities.  Evidently it will auto discern between walking and running, but for anything else you enter activity mode on the device by doing a triple tap.  Which activity it represents is selected in the mobile app -- currently swimming or cycling as I interpret the review.  So if you only ever did one of those, I think you could just leave your selection in the mobil app and do everything from tapping the Shine.

Perhaps over time they will add more activities to the app.  Or perhaps I am interpreting the review wrong. 

[LilBudyWizer]

My Mio Alpha arrived today. I played around a bit and it seemed to do fine monitoring my heart rate. The real test will be tomorrow on a walk. They mention in their manual a ANT+ version of the watch but as near as I can tell the Bluetooth Smart version is the only version they sell. There's no backlight so you can't read it in the dark. The LCD segments are highly reflective though so if you tilt it right you can read in fairly dark settings. It's surprisingly comfortable. I'll update with my results using it tomorrow.

[TandemWalker]

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@LilBudyWizer wrote:

My Mio Alpha should be arriving tomorrow, should have been here today. I don't have a whole lot of faith in optical sensors though. I tried the ePulse 2 and myTREK. The ePulse 2 didn't work worth a crap. The myTREK seems to do well enough with heart rate, but the bluetooth was no where near powerful enough. I had to wear the phone on the same side as the device to pick it up at all and lost connection constantly. Reviews on their new Rythym seems to say they didn't correct that problem in their new version. I would have liked the Basis B1 Band, but they apparently have a lot of problems with heart rate if there's much motion to the arm. I'll see how the Mio Alpha works.

Overall I don't find HRM's to be of much use on calories. My resting heart rate is like 80 and that seems to make every estimate off an HRM way over. I get estimates of like 600 calories/hour walking. They put way more weight into heart rate than it actually is as a part of the work you're doing. Hydration, humidity and temperature all can have a significant impact on heart rate while having a trivial impact on the calories you burn. I think it's a great feedback tool, but I just don't see as a good tool for calories.

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I have been using the Mio Alpha for about four months now and I am very pleased with it. You have to wear it above your wrist bone and you have to wear it tight, and yet not too tight. I mention this because there is a bit of a learning curve on how tight to wear it.  If it's too tight, it will give you erratic pulse readings; and if it's too loose, you will simply loose the signal.  Over a day or two, you get to know just how tight to wear it.

I use it my Ipod Touch and an app called HeartWorks that allows me to record my walk/jog sessions.  The Mio Alpha will show you some stats of your last session, but it won't keep any historical data, hence the reason for the iPod and HeartWorks.

Love not to have to wear a chest strap!

[Mary]

Anyone tried the Basis?  That one had some cool features.  

[Dominique]

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@Bob-C wrote:
I have been using the Mio Alpha for about four months now and I am very pleased with it. You have to wear it above your wrist bone and you have to wear it tight, and yet not too tight. I mention this because there is a bit of a learning curve on how tight to wear it.  If it's too tight, it will give you erratic pulse readings; and if it's too loose, you will simply loose the signal.  Over a day or two, you get to know just how tight to wear it.

I use it my Ipod Touch and an app called HeartWorks that allows me to record my walk/jog sessions.  The Mio Alpha will show you some stats of your last session, but it won't keep any historical data, hence the reason for the iPod and HeartWorks.

Love not to have to wear a chest strap!

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I have had my Mio Alpha for close to four months and you can count me in as another very satisfied user. Unlike Bob, I'm an Android user. Bluetooth 4.0 support is newer in Android as in iOS and there has been issues with it (for instance sync support with Fitbit devices is still beta), but the Mio Alpha is mostly working well. The main apps I'm using it with are Runtastic Pro and Digifit iCardio.

The Mio Alpha is best used in connection with a smartphone app rather than standalone, for the reason mentioned by Bob, but also because its heart rate zones and audible/visual warnings are pretty useless in practice.

[Dominique]

Earlier this year, I considered both the Basis and the Mio Alpha. I'm glad I picked up the Mio Alpha, as I've read lots of reviews about problems with the Basis. The MIO Alpha, OTOH, has performed very well for me.

[LilBudyWizer]

Yeah, I really liked the idea of the Basis, but reading their forum and reviews the heart rate is unreliable. It seems you get virtually no readings while actually working out and many that you get just aren't accurate. There's little point to heart rate if all it can record is you resting heart rate. I assume the issue is battery life. The Alpha has huge, bright leds compared to most other products. Which, presumably, is why it works reliably. The scorshe seemed to work reliably on measuring heart rate, but it couldn't maintain a bluetooth connect reliably.

Regrettably I forgot to wear my chest strap today so I had nothing to compare the Alpha to. I didn't see any drops outs though and the numbers all seem reasonable. Battery life is real good. I used it for about three hours as an HRM, another 20 as a watch and I still have 2 of 3 bars on the battery indicator. I think you could likely get by with charging it once a week for a hour run 3-4 days a week. Since it's comfortable as a plain old watch it's viable to just wear it all the time so you have an HRM when you need one with allowances for recharging. The part I really like though is the heart rate on my wrist. Speed/pace, distance, cadence and time would be nice, but heart rate is the real critical one to me. I'm fine with reviewing the rest when I get home.