Heart Rate Monitors for Women

Heart Rate watches are pretty amazing tools.  Not only can they calculate heart rate, you can program your heart zones in them, find out calories burned, check altitude, barometric pressure, test your heart rate and fitness-the list can go on and on. I don't like numbers or spending money on gadgets so I prefer more basic heart rate monitors.

The following are features I like my HRM to have:
1. Heart rate (obviously)
2. Calorie counter (fun to see how many calories I have burned at the end of a workout)
3. time
4. chest strap-necessary for calculating heart rate
5. I prefer that watch to be women's specific so that it fits my wrist and doesn't leave a huge tanline

Following are a few Polar heart rate monitors for women at various price points:
(I am only talking about Polar because that is the only brand I have tried. Timex and Garmin are other HRM makers)

1. $100: F6 heart rate monitor-great for small wrists
http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Womens-Heart-Monitor-Watch/dp/B000F6DV4G/ref=pd_sbs_sg_1
Tracks heart rate, your heart rate zones, time and calories


2. $79  Polar F4 heart rate monitor-recommended for small wrists
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007VB4IY
Features: stop watch, calorie tracker, you can input your heart rate zones

3.  $145 Polar F11 women's heart rate monitor
http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Womens-Heart-Monitor-Design/dp/B00137UGQC
This is the one I have and the only thing that is different is that it is water resistant so I can swim with it. If you are a triathlete, I recommend this one.

Places to shop online aside from Amazon-(comparison shop!)

1. SBR (for you, Jen!)
2. www.sportsbasement.com
3.  www.overstock.com (yes, they sell heart rate monitors)

If you don't want to pay shipping fees, following are some stores in NYC. I recommend calling ahead to make sure they carry female specific heart rate monitors:

1. Paragon Sports
2. SBR
3. Most running and cycling stores

Later this week-how to calculate YOUR zones!!