Friday, February 25, 2011

What Exactly is CRAP

Welcome to Friday!

You all wanna come over for a pedi/mani/backrub session later? Boys can come too!

Yesterday, I thought it was funny that so many of you caught my "CRAP" entry on my food journal. Sometimes if I have several small bits of crap (say one mini peanut butter cup, one mint hershey kiss, and a starburst) I know the calories and just lump them into the CRAP category. My journal is only so big...one doesn't want a lot of clutter!

I wanted to tell you guys again about my Polar F-4 heart rate monitor. I probably bought that thing well over a year ago. When I started journaling my food and decided to take a closer look at my calorie burn, I took it out of hibernation and started wearing it again when I worked out. I recommend the investment to anyone who IS working out.

Mine ran me around $100 from Target. I wear the strap around my chest, right under my sports bra line. It is not uncomfortable, it doesn't hurt. I know there are many different kind of heart rate monitors out there, and I would push you towards the chest strap versus the one where you put your fingers on it to get a read. When Mary and I were doing Zumba, she had that one and found it very annoying to have to stop and get a read out.

I could have spent a little more on mine. Mine for example may get thrown off by other heart rate monitors or gym equipment. This may be an issue for those of you who workout at gyms. I have only noticed it once getting synced with my treadmill at work. It was annoying.
So, the more expensive ones have their own frequency and do not get interference.

I have found that the treadmill and elliptical always show me burning MORE calories than what I am actually burning. For example. My heart rate monitor will say I burned 300 calories, while the treadmill will report 430. That's a good bit of difference. I always go with my heart rate monitor.

I have found that wearing it makes me push myself harder. If I am at 270 calories burned and time is running out during circuit, I start upping my exertion so I will get 300.

I hope everyone has a good weekend. I am taking today off from working out, but plan on working out tomorrow and Sunday (usually the weekend are my days off...but I've got to do a little more).

Be safe, smile at strangers, and give someone you love a kiss!

8 comments:

  1. I have the same monitor and love it! I never workout without it, it makes me feel so accomplished after my workouts being able to see that pretty little #.

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  2. I just got a monitor and was so stoked to see that the calories I thought I might be burning I actually was! Woo!

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  3. I have the F11 and I bought it roughly 3 years ago and I love it!!! Best piece of merchandise you could ever have while working out!

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  4. Ahh! I am so happy that you told everyone about your monitor! I just got the same one... and I love it! I highly recommend it! One thing that I learned about it is that even after your workout you are still burning calories until your heart rate comes down back to normal. I put mine on today and started it when I walked out of the locker room at the gym and kept it on until after my workout and stopped it once my bp was back to normal. I burned 700 calories total!

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  5. Mani/pedi/backrubs sound awesome. Unfortunately, we already have plans. Nex time though...and I mean it! I'd love an excuse to drive to Florida!

    Crap is good.

    :)

    My Gowear Fit always drastically diagrees with the treadmill, too. I agree, if you are working out and striving for calories burned, get a personal monitor. Calculations based on weight and time are just not accurate.

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  6. I love my Polar F6...it beeps at me when I go below a certain heart rate so it's like my own personal trainer. And the strap never bothers me either. I gotta get a new battery put in it and that's annoying cuz only a Polar rep can do it dang it!

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  7. I really need to just suck it up and buy one, I was looking at the F6. The BodyBugg seems pretty cool, too, but such a big investment when I'm not even sure if I would use it at all.

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  8. I like the term CRAP - it covers a multitude of things & you're so right... there's only so much room in a journal.

    Love my Polar... but like Draz I need a new battery. Guess I should get on it.

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