Wrist Heart Rate Monitors

Will a wrist heart rate monitor still provide accurate readings without that strap?


It’s no secret that vigorous exercise can lead to excellent cardiovascular health. We’ve all heard that aerobics is good for the heart, but how much exercise is enough to stimulate your ticker? Is your exercising routine producing enough effort to contribute to a healthy heart?

That’s where science and technology are here to help in the way of wrist heart rate monitors. These feedback devices take the guess work out of how much effort your heart is being worked and how long are your heart beats in the ‘target zone’.

Wrist heart-rate monitors can help you track the intensity of your workout without bothering with that cumbersome chest strap. Although the chest strap does permit more freedom in mobility, some folks don’t like the hassle and feel.

A good way to keep track of your heart rate without the strap is by using a wrist heart rate monitor. One drawback with this type of monitor is that they don’t provide a continuous reading of your heart rate. You have to physically touch them to get a reading. For walking or running this is not a problem at all. For cyclists, a wrist heart rate monitor might not be your best choice since you have to remove your hands from the handlebars.

Wrist heart rate monitors perform the same functions as regular heart rate monitors do. They just don’t have that annoying chest strap. Annoying in the fact that it can feel binding and it also requires a thorough cleaning at the end of your exercising. (You may not like the idea of handling a sweaty old rubber strap!)

The wrist monitor is designed with sensors above and below the digital readout screen. To determine your heart rate, just place your index finger on the bottom sensor and your middle finger on the top. While keeping your fingers in place for a moment, your current heart rate is displayed on the screen. Now you know exactly the kind of effort you’re placing on your heart.

Of course, you do have to have your hands free to obtain the readout. As previously mentioned, this model might not be the best one for cyclists for safety reasons. (But you do take your hand of the handlebar to reach for the water bottle!)

Wrist heart rate monitors double as a regular watch and are designed with all the features you come to expect like a stop watch function. A stop watch is great for interval training. Creative uses also include intelligently working warm-up and cool-down periods in your fitness routine. Regardless of the particular objective of that portion of your exercise, you’ll always know what effort is being produced by your heart.

The added benefit of a wrist heart rate monitor is that it can be used as your daily watch. This might even promote squeezing in a little more exercise since you’ve got the feedback device on you at all times. Most users appreciate seeing instant results for their efforts. A wrist monitor provides what your heart is producing at a glance.

Wrist heart rate monitors aren’t just for runners. Many “lifters’ also incorporate targeting the heart function into their weight training routines. Circuit training not only provides strength benefits but excellent cardiovascular gains as well. Not only can you make sure you’re reaching your target heart rate but the stop watch keeps your rest intervals from growing into full-blown breaks! This little device will keep your workouts ‘honest’ and focused.

Naturally, if you are performing high-intensity weight lifting it’s best to check your heart rate during rest periods. But that should be sufficient to ensure your workouts are producing the desired result.

Most digital devices are jam-packed with gizmos that offer some pretty cool features. Wrist heart rate monitors are no exception. Thanks to modern technology, some models are equipped to do more than heart rate and tell time. And face it, we like these extras!

One of these upgrade extras is caloric expenditure. This will tell you how many calories you’re burning during the workout. (Makes you think twice before eating that cookie knowing how much effort it takes to burn it off, doesn’t it?)

To find out the caloric expenditure, you’ll need to put in your ‘specifics’ so the computer can do it’s computations. You’ll need to enter information such as your age, weight and gender. The technology will then compute your personalized variables to estimate how many calories as expended while you’re working out. It mainly comes down to the intensity you’re putting forth and not so much the particular activity you’re engaging in.

Cardiovascular health is important. Be sure to get the most out of each and every workout. Work your heart out intelligently and you’ll be rewarded with improved health. A wrist heart rate monitor can assist you achieve this goal.