Do you wear anything throughout the day or just during workouts to track anything like your heart rate, calories burned, distance traveled, etc?
Any advice &/or recommendations? What devices are available, and what do each do? What brand do you use?
I don't know anything about any of it, but I think I want to get something to find out more accurately how much I'm really burning & maybe even how far I'm really going. I don't know if a pedometer is enough b/c I do so many different workouts. And does a pedometer work for running?
(FYI, I run, hike, use a treadmill, elliptical, strength train, yoga, pilates, aerobics...)
I have a pedometer. It tells me how many steps I've taken, miles I've gone, and calories I've approximately burned. I've work it on jogs to see if I could push myself, but I also have worn it to school in the past and was amazed to see that I walk approximately 3 miles during a school day. For the most part I like it, it's nice to see distances and approximate calories. The Pedo just measures my steps, but I have a phone ap that measures my running time and such. You could see if there any aps on your phone that measure that.
You can also join fitday and log in your activities to see an approximation of calories burned through out the entire day. You can log work outs, walking, and even things like typing, sleeping, and cleaning. (Everything burns calories).
I have a pedometer that my sister got from her Obstetrician for free. But I'm actually thinking of getting a Bodybugg to really have an accurate view, but they are SO very expensive that for now it's just a wish.
I have a Polar RS200 heart rate monitor. It tracks calories burned, time of exercise, you can do laps, which I use all the time, and of course, it tracks your heart rate. It also tracks VO2 and you "own zone" so you know what your target heart rate is.
I love it. It's awesome to see how many calories I'm burning and although I never "eat back" my calories, it help me to know if I can add an apple or another small snack depending on what I've burned.
You can purchase separately a "foot pod" that will track exactly how far you have walked/ran. I can't speak to that because I don't have it. It hooks onto your shoelaces and I run in minimalist shoes with no shoelaces. But the reviews are good!
I have a fit bit to track steps and it is fun, but I bought a Polar heart rate monitor so I could track more than just walking. That way I can do DVDs, yoga, weights, etc and know more. It sounds to me like you'd be better served by an HRM over a pedometer.
A.