Many people are doing aerobic exercise these days. The guidelines for making aerobic exercise as effective as possible recommend that the exerciser try to maintain a heart rate within a specific target zone. One way to do this is to use a heart rate monitor.

The aerobic metabolism consumes glycogen and oxygen. It is used to power exertion over a long period of time, regardless of the level of effort. Aerobic exercise increases the capabilities of the aerobic metabolism. The anaerobic metabolism just uses glycogen. It powers high levels of effort over fairly short periods of time.

One of the goals of aerobic exercise is to maintain a moderate to high level of exercise for a significant period of time. The level of exercise can be measured by the pulse or heart rate. This can be checked manually; some people find this effective. Doing the checking with a heart rate monitor tends to be more effective, and causes less distraction from the exercise.

Heart rate monitors calculate the pulse, or the rate at which the heart is beating. The ones most useful for general aerobic exercise are wearable and of course portable. Non-portable models are only useful in conjunction with fixed exercise equipment such as exercise bicycles or treadmills. Portable models can be used with virtually any kind of exercise. Some can even be worn while swimming.

Some monitors directly measure the electrical impulses generated during the beating of the heart. This is similar to the operation of an EKG machine, though much simpler. This type of monitor generally requires some kind of mounting on the chest. Chest straps and sports bras with embedded sensors are both commonly used.

EKG based monitors commonly have a wireless interface to a readout device that may be hand held or wrist mounted. The readout may be a watch, possibly with other sports and exercise functions. It may also display calculated data, perhaps calories used or maximum pulse rate. They display device could also be a cell phone or some custom display just for use with the monitor. The wireless interface may be something proprietary, but more and more of them are using the bluetooth protocol, which was originally developed for headsets, keyboards, and similar devices.

Another approach is to measure the throbbing throughout the body resulting from the heart beats. A sensor may fit onto a finger, or possibly an earlobe. The distance from the sensor to the display is short enough that a wireless interface is generally not implemented. Some monitors have the sensor as part of the display unit. This would probably require the user to press a finger or thumb against the sensor in the device to get a reading.

Some sports have special needs. Clearly swimmers need waterproof monitors. Where looking at a display might be too distracting, audible output could be used. This could be alarm tones indicating pulse out of range, or it could be a reading of the pulse rate itself.

It is possible to do aerobic exercise without a heart rate monitor, but there are advantages to using one. The primary advantage is that it can make the exercise more effective by making it easier for the user to determine if the level of effort is too high, too low, or about right. Also, many people just like having more feedback as to how they are doing.

Alan Walker is an experience personal trainer in a major health club chain. In his job he uses many best heart rate monitors to help his clients in fitness training. He owns a best heart rate monitor blog to recommends the best heart rate monitors in the market.

Posted under Watches

If you are serious about fitness, then a heart rate monitor is as important as the right pair of shoes. And like shoes, a heart monitor isn't one size fits all. Women need different things in a monitor than men do. The best heart rate monitors for women are very different from monitors that are best for men.

Face it. Men can usually wear a regular heart monitor watch that uses a chest strap, and wear it comfortably. They have no difficulty getting an accurate reading. For many women this is more of a challenge.

The chest strap is what transmits data to the heart monitor watch. It does that by picking up impulses from the heart and then transmitting this information. If there is not good contact with the skin, the transmission is flawed.

If you are relatively flat chested, you will most likely be able to get good contact between skin and strap. That means you can probably use a monitor that has a chest strap.

But for women who have bigger cup sizes, wearing a strap can present problems. To get solid contact with the skin, the strap has to be worn very tightly which can be quite uncomfortable.

If you find yourself in this group, there is another option to the traditional type of heart rate monitor. Strapless heart rate monitors have become increasingly popular, particularly among women. These monitors measure heart rate without having to wear a chest strap.

Reviews about heart rate monitors have proven to be mixed. Some experts in the fitness field think that the readings these monitors provide are not as accurate as you'd get with a traditional monitor. Other experts think the technology comes close to that of a traditional monitor. Most are in agreement that models made today are head and shoulders above older models.

So, if you can't wear a regular heart rate monitor, look for a strapless model that comes recommended, made by a company that specializes in heart monitors. There are a number of designs to choose from in a strapless heart monitor.

Many strapless monitors are worn on the wrist. Others may have a ring sensor that you wear on your finger. Still other models have a strap that is worn around the upper arm. Finally there are strapless monitors that can be held in the hand.

With a wrist heart rate monitor, there is usually one or two sensors located right on the watch. Putting a finger on the sensor lets it collect and then display this data on the watch.

It's difficult to say which are the best heart rate monitors for women. The two most important factors are accuracy and comfort. Otherwise you probably won't wear it anyway.

Whether you are a serious athlete or a casual exerciser, heart monitor watches can help you boost performance and improve fitness levels. Although monitors can be worn by anyone, women may be more comfortable wearing a wrist heart rate monitor.

Posted under Watches