Tag: garmin

Another One Bites The Dust.

surge-and-vivoactiveSo I have used activity tackers and HR monitors for several years now and I have come to the conclusion that basically they all suck. Not because of the tech behind them or the amazing apps or wide range of use but rather because they are not built to last. I started out with a very simple Polar F11 HR monitor with the strap which was my first gripe, knowing that if the hospital can take my heart rate with a clamp on my finger why the hell do I have to wear a chest strap? It was very basic and worked OK until the chest strap battery went, and shortly after stopped working altogether. The HR reading were not consistent, you have to have the right amount of moisture to make it work and it was, for someone who was very fat at the time, very uncomfortable and kept rolling down my barrel of a body. I traded up some time later to a Suunto T6D which was my first foray into high level HR mapping with the RMR intervals (I am sure that’s wrong btw) and lots of other bells and whistles including a foot pod a GPS pod and a cadence monitor none of which I used. I think the Suunto was the one that didn’t have a stopwatch which seemed insane to me. Again, within about a year the chest strap gave up and I was left with a very ugly watch. I did like the Suunto software though and the online tracking. I then was lucky enough to score a Polar RS800CX HR monitor for about $200 from a store that was closing down and I was really happy with it until the band broke and once again the chest strap came apart even though I was far less fat at that point.

It was at that time that the new wrist worn HR readers were coming out, I had added a Garmin Vivofit to my arsenal and was wearing it to gauge what my all day activity profile was which was really excellent until after about 8 months the strap broke. I could probably have got a new strap since it’s a modular and quite clever system but by that time the HR monitors were out and I switched to a Fitbit. The strap broke on the fitbit after a few months and I graduated up to the Fitbit Charge HR which is what I used up until yesterday when I discovered it’s not charging any more. Not only that, the clip around the charging slot at the back has broken off so the clip wont clip. The band has held up OK but the watch itself is screwed.

So I am once again without an HR monitor or step counter.

Is this a problem?

I know that I have enjoyed the Fitbit systems, I used the food tracker last year to get to my best BF% ever and love to have all my stats in the dashboard. For $180 at Costco it’s not a huge amount but if you only get a year of use it’s a bit much. I do have to say that it’s a couple of dollars cheaper at Bestbuy. I could go all out and get the Surge or the Blaze but since I use the device not as a watch but as an activity tracker and I already wear a watch maybe the Charge HR is enough for me right now. One downside I have found is that the band does irritate my wrist at times. The Garmin never did but every Fitbit I have owned has irritated my skin to a degree.

I think at this point I will just suck it up and get another Charge HR but I will be sure to keep the receipt since the warranty apparently is a year. I am doing this because I believe that the more you know about what you are doing the better equipped you are to do something about it. Just knowing that I am getting 4000 steps a day on average lets me know that I should probably be adding a 20 minute walk to my program somewhere or a short set of sprints to get my numbers up. Seeing my sleep numbers is also a big part of why I like the Fitbit. I know I don’t sleep enough but knowing how much is enough should be a step towards fixing that.

R11D90-98 – Cruising

Australian-Cruise-SydneyI didn’t actually quit after day 90 a week ago, I have been busy with work and gymnastics and unable to get my activities down. I have also been field testing a Garmin Vivofit which I am using to see what I can deduce from my daily activities and sleep that will help to get me back down to my working weight of around 230lbs. I know I have lots of data about my workouts, I know when I am working hard enough and I know how many calories I am burning etc. The problem is that I don’t really know what I am doing the rest of the time. Am I sitting too much, inactive too long am I getting enough sleep and what is the quality of that sleep. These are all metrics that I can measure with the Vivofit. Now I should be able to tell what I suspect, that my activity during the day is holding me back. I have been sitting more than I would like since my second surgery mostly because they got me a really nice chair to sit in and that, I suspect may be part of the problem. I have prattled on about the benefits of standing to work but not only that, the fact that it made me feel more mobile and willing to take walks to do things I would otherwise do over email. I have a feeling that the simple fact I am sitting more is contributing to my plateau.

I spent part of the weekend cleaning the garage floor in preparation for the triumphant return of the barbell and bumper plates to the garage which signifies the return of clean and press and squats into my regimen. I am timing it for the big switch over to HIIT again on May 1 at which time I shall get back with my polar RS800CX HR monitor and see exactly how out of shape I have become doing exclusively weight training over the last few weeks. I feel a little more slovenly I have to admit, there were times before the surgery where I actually felt like I was in shape, mobile, capable of anything. Not so much right now. I mean I feel like I could crush a car in my giant hands but I don’t really feel, well, fit. I did a kettlebell workout on Sunday morning to try and work out the kinks in my back and although it was tough I actually do feel better today than I have in a few days. It wasn’t like my old KB workouts, it was mostly squats and swings, but enough to send my HR through the roof and satisfy my urge to sweat a little.

So I guess you could say that I am in my last 2 weeks of Body Beast. I do feel beasty but after all that I am not so sure that is the feeling I was going for. If you want to try it out, le me know, I can get you great pricing on any Beachbody products.