Heart monitor for use while active?

[Darren1]

Can anyone share experience with wearing a heart monitor during sports or other recreation? (hiking/walking/etc). I am considering purchasing one and wearing it to monitor and graph my heart activity while jogging.
Combined with my quarterly EKG's, It seems like a good way to watch the effects of exercise on my heart over time. (not to mention it would hopefully give me some indications of stress on my heart if it is occuring). What is considered to be a safe "maximum" heart rate for HCMrs? I've heard 20% below what is recommended... but I imagine that too varies based on the individual.

[Lisa Salberg]

Re: Heart monitor for use while active?

The heart rate is too variable to suggest a number here on a message board. The monitor will only tell you your heart rate, not your rythm (NSVT's , sinus, other).

Take care!
Lisa

[Cynaburst]

Re: Heart monitor for use while active?

Like Lisa said, I have used a monitor. It won't help you do the things you want to do. All it will do is tell you how fast your heart is beating, not whether you are having rhythm problems.

My recommended exercising heart rate was suggested to me by my doctor. Ask yours.

[Darren1]

Re: Heart monitor for use while active?

Thanks folks. I'll check with the doctor. Here is a quote from Polar (makers of one model of monitor), they claim it measures electrical activity as well. Actually, they claim it is as accurate as an EKG... What do you all think? They also go on to state that they "are not designed to detect arrhythmia or irregular rhythms". So, my question is.. would the data still be useful?

"Polar is the world's leading innovator and manufacturer of wireless heart rate monitors and offers a full line of ECG heart rate monitors. The chest transmitter or "heart" of the Polar Heart Rate Monitor picks up the direct electrical impulses of the heart and transmits them, without wires, to the wrist receiver...It is as easy and as accurate as an EKG machine, and more accurate than taking your pulse by hand, pulse meters that you wear only on your wrist, or ear clips."

You can keep a history of your heart activity for weeks at a time and view it charted on the PC at a later time. Seems like a great way to see how the heart is functioning! Of course, it would never replace our regular doctor appointments.

here is the URL...

http://www.pursuit-performance.com.a...about_hrm.html
(how it works is at the very bottom of this link)

http://www.bodytrends.com/products/h...olar/index.htm

[Lisa Salberg]

Re: Heart monitor for use while active?

How would it be useful? - it will help you know what your heart rate is. Other than that - I can not see much of a purpose for your situation. Some who are in chronic A-Fib use the monitors to monitor rate as rapid rate A/F is of serious concern while lower rates are not so troublesome.

Lisa

[LynnS]

Re: Heart monitor for use while active?

Hi there,

From a different point of view - here is my 2 cents worth to consider. I have a Polar heart rate monitor and I highly endorse using one during sustained physical activity ie. biking, walking, hiking, etc for the purpose of monitoring your rate. I was first introduced to using it when I was in Cardiac Rehab last year. It helps me keep an eye on my heart rate and gauge whether or not I need to back off or if I can still increase my pace (which is often the case). No it won't help w/ checking rhythm, etc but it does help you to follow your progress and abilities. Additionally I like being able to immediately look and see what my heart rate is doing in case I'm having any symptoms, then I can check to see at what point that is occuring. I often have oxygen debts at the start of working out and my heart rate is not really 'working hard' yet. I know I need to give myself a couple more minutes before pushing on so that my oxygen level and heart demand level out.

Hope this is helpful - Polar is by far the best!
Lynn

[Cynaburst]

Re: Heart monitor for use while active?

I never said I was against using it. I also use a Polar monitor to monitor my heartrate while exercising. What I said was that it would'nt tell you if your heart is getting worse or if you were doing too much. Only your doctor or body can tell you these things.

If your doctor tells you a rate that is good for you to stay under, then it works great to help you with that. The initial post seemed to suggest that the Polar monitor could do more like what a holter monitor does, and it won't. Furthermore, even if you wore a holter while exercising, which I have done before, by the way, you still would need to have echos every so often to see if your muscle was getting thicker, or if your obstruction was worsening, or if your mitral valve regurg was worse.

It is a tool, which must be used in conjunction with many other things.

[Toogoofy317]

Re: Heart monitor for use while active?

I use a Polar HR monitor as well. You can catch it if you are having PVC's because the heart rate will all of a sudden drop from the mid 100's to the 80's and if long enough the 50's. If it can't read it properly it drops. So that might give you a clue.

I found this out during rehab when I had the EKG on and my HR monitor I through some PVCs and that is what happened.

Just my two cents!

Mary S.

[Darren1]

Re: Heart monitor for use while active?

Thanks all! Those are just the types of things I wanted to know. It'll be interesting to see if the "fancy" monitors actually tell me anything about the electric activity of my heart when I upload the data to my PC at the end of the day. Either way, feedback on my heart rate is good! -DB

[Sarah]

Re: Heart monitor for use while active?

won't your insurance cover the cost of wearing a holter from time to time?

[Darren1]

Re: Heart monitor for use while active?

Insurance... That's a good question. I've worn a halter on two occasions, so I guess they will. Unfortunately, I'd like to have more regular monitoring (weekly) and I don't know if insurance would cover that.

[Millie Acosta]

Re: Heart monitor for use while active?

My son Jeremy who is 11 years old with HCM has a Polar Pacer. He works out with a personal trainer once a week and we take him biking or shoot basketball hoops at the gym. It's worked very well for us. His EP gave us him HR limits and we programmed it accordingly. It helps him because he can monitor himself if he's getting too close to his limit. If it beeps, he knows he needs to slow down.

The one he has is also water resistent so he goes swimming with it. He knows he can do any physical activity without it. It's a smart gadget!

[Darren1]

Re: Heart monitor for use while active?

Which model do you have? Can you make some recommendations? I'm going to talk with my doctor as well.

[Millie Acosta]

Re: Heart monitor for use while active?

I take a look at it tonight and email the information this evening.

[Darren1]

Re: Heart monitor for use while active?

This thread has been pretty quiet. I still would like to know if there is such a thing as a portable (or personal) halter monitor. One that a person can wear when they are active and later examine the information on a computer (a home PC/Mac perhaps?). This type of information would prove invaluable to me, I could then see exactly what my heart rate is doing over a period of time and during stress (ie running). As I hear often on this board, "information is power"...