An exercise heart rate monitor is perhaps the best tool you could have in weight loss. If you have ever watched “The Biggest Loser” on television, you have no doubt seen the heart rate monitors that the contestants are wearing. Because most of them are extremely obese, it is vital that their trainers know exactly what their heart rate is at every moment. They also use their heart rate to push them during training sessions, knowing just when to stop.
Now you don’t have to be hugely overweight to benefit from a heart monitor watch. If you have never used an exercise heart rate monitor, then you will be surprised at how much it can do for you. The first thing that you will notice is that not all exercise heart rate monitors are alike. Some of them have few functions, while some have far too many functions that will only confuse you. The trick is to find a monitor that you like, that fits you properly, and that allows you to do what you want with it.
Most monitors will act primarily as a watch and a training tool, which means that you can wear it all the time, whether you are working out or not. For that reason, you want one that is attractive and not too bulky. The exercise heart rate monitor that you choose should also be water resistant so that not only can you sweat all over it, but you can wear it in the pool or in the shower after a long workout. You don’t want to worry about it getting wet!
Most monitors will allow you time your laps, your splits, and pre-program workouts into it so that you know what you are going to do when you get to the track, the gym, or the pool. By planning ahead and knowing what your workout will be, you will be more apt to follow through on it, no matter how lazy you are feeling when it is time to get started.
You will also want one that records your workouts so that you can monitor your progress over time, or even go back and repeat a workout at a later date. This is another way to motivate yourself – by seeing how much progress you have made over the weeks and months that you have been working out. An exercise heart rate monitor could be the most motivational exercise tool you ever have, and is the key to most people’s success in both fitness goals and weight loss.
