Polar FT4
Scrap the personal trainer and get in shape with the Polar FT4
By Cat Morley
We were sent a Polar FT4 watch and heart-rate monitor to test out and you can see about how we got on below. We're giving you a chance to win your own FT4 by leaving a comment below and telling us your top tips for motivating yourself to work out!
Contest closes April 30th.
Congratulations to EmmaThePrincess.
Last year I challenged myself to jog for 30 minutes every day. Olympic fever had hit Britain and I wanted to get in on the action by getting fit. It started out well at first, I was filled with excitement and put that motivation in to my work-out, ending up in a sweat by the end of my session and I could feel it paying off. However, as the weeks went on, I started losing that initial enthusiasm and could feel that I was cheating myself. I would work out for the same amount of time, but I just wasn't putting the effort in and was hardly breaking a sweat anymore. I needed someone, or something, to hold me accountable and that's where the Polar's FT4 came in.
Combing a heart-rate monitor, stopwatch and calorie-burning counter in a high-tech watch, the Polar FT4 is like a pocket-sized personal trainer, telling me when I'm exercising hard enough and pestering me when I let things slip. It splits the heart rate into 3 zones, so I know I'm working out hard when I'm in the top two zones. It also gives me a personalised plan, and shows me how long I need to spend in each zone to lose weight, or get fit. Monitoring my heart-rate is a simple addition to the exercise I was already doing, and pushes me harder without messing up my habits. No more cheating!
Before I start exercising, I attach the heart-rate monitor around my ribs using the chest-strap and a few seconds later, my heart-rate appears in real-time on the watch. As I exercise, I can watch my heart rate rise and fall to make sure that I'm training at the right intensity. When I'm finished, the watch reports back on the effectiveness of my session, tracking how long the workout lasted, how many calories I've burned and how many minutes I trained in each heart-rate zone.
The biggest benefit I've gained from the watch is the ability to work out anywhere and in any way I want - from jogging around the park to dancing in a hotel room while travelling. No matter where I am, the exercise I'm in the mood for or what workout equipment is available, I'm able to know how effective my workout was and track my progress, save in the knowledge that the Polar FT4 is there to kick me in to shape!
Comments
" a person can achieve anything they set their mind too if they want it bad enough "
NEVER take No or I CAN'T as a acceptable answer !!!”
Also, exercising doesn't have to involve gyms, runs, or weights. I put on my favourite music and rock it out for 30-60 minutes a day (though usually more, because after the 30-60 minutes in a row, I can't turn off ^-^) - it makes me feel good, I work up a sweat, and I exercise without feeling the pressure to do x-many reps of something.”
then following through. A little competition is a good thing!”
CO+K User
Healthy diet and exercise are the best ways to feel healthy, comfortable with your body and more active.”
Besides, I like to walk and love to run... the only more enjoyable method of conveyance than my own two feet is horseback riding, which is also the best full body work-out that I have ever personally encountered.”
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